Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously

Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
 the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
 and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
 entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
 Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
 a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
 in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
 and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
 80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
 Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
 film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
 in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
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Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
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Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
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Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins W
hy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
 to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
 80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix
ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
 saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
 film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
 in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
 than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
 the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
 Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
 guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
 helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.
By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
 guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
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31
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Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
 helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.
By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
 Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
 and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
 woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
 conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
 Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix
ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
 film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
 in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
 huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
 and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
 huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
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31
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Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
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SHARES
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Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
 80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
 Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
 by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
 in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
 and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
 symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
 and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
 Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
 guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
 helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.
By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.son was not a successful busine
ssman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings were lost and his musicians sought bett
er opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
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Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
 than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
 the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
 of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
 the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
 Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.
Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
 woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
 guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
 by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
 Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
 Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins W
hy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
 Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix
ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
 symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
 entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
 huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
 symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
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51
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Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

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Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
 guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
 and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.
Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
 80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
 Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
 by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
 in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
 film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
 in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
 and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
 Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
 conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
 saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
 Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
 film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
 in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
 huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
 and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

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--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
 the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
 and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
 entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
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--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

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--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
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Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.son was not a successful busine
ssman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings were lost and his musicians sought bett
er opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Tak
en Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
 huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
 helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.
By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
 and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.
Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
 conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
 by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
 saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tourWhy Adolphe Sax's Musica
l Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
 symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
 saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
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31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994., Henderson had a stroke in 195
0. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on Dece
mber 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.rson had a stroke in 1950. Part
ially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City on December 29
, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins W
hy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in t:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid o:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone, could have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A h
ybrid of the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinder
ella of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a perman
ent place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such F
rench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ri
chard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regard:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.ed it as anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.f the brass and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cindere
lla of serious music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permane
nt place in the symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such Fr
ench composers as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Ric
hard Strauss, whose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it a
s anything but a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.he world of jazz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popula
r genres, however, actually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music.
By the 1920s, it was so closely associated with jazz that many classical purist
s dismissed it altogether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxo:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.phone could become a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, sa
xophonist Marcel Mule helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could pr
oduce "an open, evenly controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or
a finely trimmed staccato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breat
hy 'air sound.'" Mule's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he
formed a classical saxophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them
to play but he remained driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

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----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
 Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
 the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
 by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players
Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
 day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
 he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
 in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
 in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.
Arrangements for Sale
Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0
Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
 and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
 symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
 and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
 Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.would usher in swing music's re
ign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.Why Adolphe Sax's Musical Inven
tion Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
 a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
 than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that would us
her in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.d in 1927, Henderson soon stepp
ed into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces tha
t would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, Henderson had a stroke
in 1950. Partially paralyzed, he then retired. Henderson died in New York City
on December 29, 1952, at the age of 55.
Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration, a collection of recordings from the
heyday of Henderson's band, was released in 1994.ted in 1927, Henderson soon ste
pped into arranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces t
hat would usher in swing music's reign of popularity.

Arrangements for Sale

Though he worked with an impressive array of musicians in addition to Armstrong, H
enderson's band members included Benny Carter, Charlie Green and Coleman Hawkins H
enderson was not a successful businessman. As the 1930s progressed, bookings wer
e lost and his musicians sought better opportunities elsewhere.
In 1934, financial straits pushed Henderson to sell some of his arrangements to
Benny Goodman, who was starting his own band. Henderson was then forced to see t
he white bandleader reach a stratospheric level of success using Henderson's arran
gements of songs like "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Wrappin' I
t Up" that had eluded him. Though Goodman was upfront about Henderson's contributi
ons to his band, it was still a bitter pill for Henderson to swallow.
Henderson's band broke up in 1935; he attempted to re-form a successful band of
his own during the latter half of the 1930s and had a hit with "Christopher Columb
us" (1936) but never reached the same heights as Goodman. In 1939, he became a sta
ff arranger for Goodman.
Later Years
In the 1940s, Henderson tried his hand at bandleading once more, though he maint
ained an association with Goodman, while also sending arrangements to other band
s. After becoming ill while reunited with Waters on tour, HendeWhy Adolphe Sax's
Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.
Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departed in 1927, Henderson soon stepped into ar
ranging duty. He proved to be gifted in this area, creating pieces that Why Adol
phe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
 woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups
Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago
Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman deparWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn't
Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015
It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.

Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844

J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman augmented the
reed section. While riding high with a gig at the Park Central Hotel, Pollack tu
rned the drum chair in his group over to Ray Bauduc. Motivated by a desire to be
in the spotlight and urged on by the success of baton-waving bandleaders of the
day, Pollack decided to conduct his orchestra out front rather than from behind
the band in the rhythm section. The era of star drummers like Gene Krupa and Ch
ick Webb leading their bands to fame and fortune while positioned at their drum
kits was still far off in the future.

Guitarist Nappy Lamare and Saxophonist Eddie Miller, 1930s. Photo courtesy jazzc
ollectionsmag.
Despite the all-star personnel, steady work and numerous recordings, personality
conflicts began to emerge as freewheeling sidemen challenged Ben Pollack's stri
ct, disciplinarian approach to band leading. As some personnel left, yet even mo
re great jazzmen joined the ranks of Pollack's orchestra. In and era of big band
arrangements where every note was written out, top players were drawn by Pollack
's reputation for playing hot jazz and giving his men room for their own solo im
provisations. In the early 1930s, the orchestra included Eddie Miller and Babe R
ussin (saxes), Matty Matlock (clarinet),Yank Lawson, Charlie Teagarden, Sterling
Bose and Charlie Spivak (trumpets) and Nappy Lamare (guitar).

"He's the Last Word" sheet music, 1927. Image courtesy adateintimecollectibles.
However, ongoing personality clashes led to a mutiny in December, 1934, when his
entire band quit to form the nucleus of what would become the Bob Crosby Orches
tra. Pollack never recovered from the shock and hurt engendered by the walkout.

Even though he was accorded the sobriquet "Dean of Sophisticated Swing," the Swi
ng Era was not a happy time for Ben Pollack. He watched his former sidemen becom
e well-paid celebrities in the orchestras of Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman and Glenn
Miller as he struggled to keep his own big band afloat. He sued Crosby, Goodman
and others over what he considered stolen musical arrangements, but his case wa
s thrown out. Gradually he bowed out of the band leading business.

Though Pollack reemerged as a bandleader following an appearance at the 1949 Dix

ieland Jubilee in Los Angeles, success continued to elude him and his bitterness
and dejection increased. Sadly, he took his own life in Palm Springs on June 7,
1971.

Ben Pollack's Pick-A-Rib Boys, 1950s. Photo courtesy Michael Steinman at Jazz Li
ves.

Fortunately for us, his musical legacy survives. Though Ben Pollack's name is re
membered by only a few, his pioneering contribution to jazz drumming can still b
e heard on his many recordings and in the work of players today who revere the b
eauty of solid timekeeping "of sending the rest of the band rather than playing a
million different beats."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Fletcher HendersonBiography
Pianist, Songwriter (1897 1952)
37
SHARES
31
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0

Quick Facts
Name
Fletcher Henderson
Occupation
Pianist, Songwriter
Birth Date
December 18, 1897
Death Date
December 29, 1952
Education
Atlanta University, Columbia University
Place of Birth
Cuthbert, Georgia
Place of Death
New York, New York
Originally
James Fletcher Henderson
Nickname
Smack
AKA
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
Full Name
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr.
Synopsis
Early Life
Chemist Turned Bandleader
Arrangements for Sale
Later Years
Cite This Page
In the 1930s, Fletcher Henderson helped define the swing era sound with his own
band's performances and by selling big band jazz arrangements to Benny Goodman.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Named Fletcher
Famous Pianists
Famous People Born on December 18
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Fletcher Henderson was born in Georgia in 1897. Though he went to New York City
to look for work as a chemist, he ended up becoming a pianist for Black Swan rec
ords before embarking on a career as a bandleader. Henderson's band helped creat
e the swing era sound, but it was Benny Goodman's use of Henderson's arrangement
s that made swing a popular success. Henderson died in New York City in 1952.
Early Life
Born on December 18, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia, James Fletcher Henderson (who l
ater changed his name to Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. and who was best known
as Fletcher Henderson) was the son of two educators. Growing up, his mother taug
ht him to play the piano. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson
did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry an
d math at Atlanta University.
Chemist Turned Bandleader
After graduating from college in 1920, Henderson went to New York City. He had p
lanned to find work using his chemistry degree, but racism limited his opportuni
ties. The musical world was more welcoming, and Henderson began demonstrating so
ngs for a music publishing company. In 1921, he moved to Black Swan records, whe
re he served as a session pianist. One of the performers Henderson worked with w
as singer Ethel Waters; Henderson also joined Waters on tour as leader of the Bl
ack Swan Troubadours.
With the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, Henderson became the leader of his own ba
nd. The group's music director was Don Redman, whose arrangements featured a cal
l and response between different sections of the band, a style that would come t
o define the big band sound. In 1924, the orchestra landed a regular gig at New
York City's Roseland Ballroom. That same year, Henderson hired Louis Armstrong t
o join the group.
Henderson and his band were a success at the Roseland, where they would stay for
a decade. They also made recordings; their first hit was a reworked "Dippermout
h Blues." Though Armstrong left the band in 1925, he had bequeathed a new jazz s
ound to the group. After Redman departeWhy Adolphe Sax's Musical Invention Wasn'
t Taken Seriously
Lily Rothman
Nov 05, 2015

It took decades a century even, depending how you count for Adolphe Sax's invention
to take its place in history. The Belgian instrument maker, born 201 years ago,
on Nov. 6, 1814, patented the saxophone in the 1840s. The new instrument, with a
woodwind reed and a brass body, was a good fit for a military band, but it didn
't get much respect from the musical establishment.
As TIME later explained:
As a boy in early 19th century Belgium, Adolphe Sax was struck on the head by a
brick. The accident-prone lad also swallowed a needle, fell down a flight of sta
irs, toppled onto a burning stove, and accidentally drank some sulfuric acid. Wh
en he grew up, he invented the saxophone.
Only a child that familiar with adversity, contend critics of the saxophone, cou
ld have foisted such a contraption on an unsuspecting world. A hybrid of the bra
ss and woodwind families, the instrument is the perennial Cinderella of serious
music. Its rich, sometimes dozing sound has never found a permanent place in the
symphony orchestra, although after its invention in 1840 such French composers
as Berlioz and Massenet experimented with it. In Germany only Richard Strauss, w
hose Domestic Symphony included a quartet of saxes, regarded it as anything but
a yeoman of military bands.
After Sax's death, the saxophone finally found an established place in the world
of music when it came to the United States and made its mark in the world of ja
zz and, eventually, rock and roll. Its success in those popular genres, however, a
ctually hurt its reputation in the world of classical music. By the 1920s, it wa
s so closely associated with jazz that many classical purists dismissed it altog
ether.
Even so, at least one musician did not give up hope that the saxophone could bec
ome a well-respected classical instrument: in the 1950s, saxophonist Marcel Mule
helped show that, in TIME's words, the instrument could produce "an open, evenl
y controlled sound that could sing with a clean vibrato or a finely trimmed stac
cato, swell robustly and solidly with no trace of the breathy 'air sound.'" Mule
's challenges were many including the fact that, even when he formed a classical s
axophone quartet, there wasn't any music out there for them to play but he remaine
d driven to change the instrument's reputation.
"I have one mission in life," he told TIME. "That is to make people take the sax
ophone seriously. It's time they discovered the nobility of this spoiled instrum
ent."
Video on the page
When I think about new orleans its hard to leave.
We had churches with all kinds of high level music.
And then you had the whole marching band tradition for john phillip sousa - was
the most popular music at that time
When you speak of tradition, we can speak of Louis Armstrong
He sang quartets, played tin can et all
He is the foundation and still influenced a lot of players

Adolphe Sax, byname of Antoine-Joseph Sax (born November 6, 1814, Dinant, Belgiu
m died February 7, 1894, Paris, France), Belgian-French maker of musical instrumen
ts and inventor of the saxophone.
Sax, lithograph by Auguste Bry after a portrait by Charles Baugniet, 1844
J.P. Ziolo
Sax was the son of Charles Joseph Sax (1791 1865), a maker of wind and brass instr
uments, as well as of pianos, harps, and guitars. Adolphe studied the flute and
clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and in 1842 went to Paris. There he exhibi
ted the saxophone, a single-reed instrument made of metal, with a conical bore,
overblowing at the octave, which had resulted from his efforts to improve the to
ne of the bass clarinet. It was patented in 1846. With his father he evolved the
saxhorn (patented 1845), a development on the bugle horn; the saxo-tromba, prod
ucing a tone between that of the bugle and the trumpet; and the saxtuba. Sax dis
covered that it is the proportions given to a column of air vibrating in a sonor
ous tube, and these alone, that determine the timbre produced.
In 1857 Sax was appointed instructor of the saxophone at the Paris Conservatory.
Later he improved several instruments and invented others without, however, est
ablishing a basis for their commercial exploitation. Many of his instruments wer
e accepted for the French army bands, and for 10 years Sax was involved in lawsu
its with competing instrument makers seeking to have his patents revoked. In his
80th year he was living in abject poverty; Emmanuel Chabrier, Jules Massenet, a
nd Camille Saint-Sans were obliged to petition the minister of fine arts to come
to his aid.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
Coleman HawkinsBiography
Saxophonist (1904 1969)
68
SHARES
51
0
0

Quick Facts
Name
Coleman Hawkins
Occupation
Saxophonist
Birth Date
November 21, 1904
Death Date
May 19, 1969
Education
Washburn College
Place of Birth
St. Joseph, Missouri
Place of Death
New York, New York
AKA
Coleman Hawkins
Full Name
Coleman Randolph Hawkins
Synopsis
Early Life
Career
Later Life and Legacy
Cite This Page
Coleman Hawkins was an influential tenor saxophone player and one of the first p
rominent jazz musicians to be known for the instrument.
IN THESE GROUPS
Famous People Who Struggled with Alcoholism
Famous People in Jazz Music
Famous People Born in 1904
Famous People Born in United States
Show All Groups

Synopsis
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 21, 1904, Coleman Hawkins learned how
to play the piano at age 5, the cello at 7, and the tenor sax at age 9. Chiefly
known for his association with swing music and the big band era, Hawkins toured
the world with various bands and had a role in the development of bebop, recordi
ng what is considered the first record of the genre in 1944.
Early Life
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1904, and his mother began
teaching him how to play piano when he was just 5 years old. He started playing
the cello around age 7 and tenor saxophone at age 9. He attended high school in
Chicago and then went to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, studying harmony an
d composition.
Career
The spring of 1921 marked Hawkins first professional gig playing in the orchestra o
f the 12th Street Theater in Kansas City. By March 1922, Hawkins was working wit
h Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds in New York, making his first recordings with
her shortly thereafter. The year 1923 was a busy one for Hawkins, as he toured w
ith the Jazz Hounds across the country, recorded his first substantial solo (on D
icty Blues ) and teamed up with musicians such as Fletcher Henderson (with whom Ha
wkins formed a band that stuck together until 1934), Ginger Jones and Charlie Ga
ines on studio recordings and live shows.
The remainder of the 1920s and early 1930s found Hawkins and Henderson playing i
n and around New York City together, at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom and
the Savoy. They also toured throughout New England, the East Coast, the Midwest
and later the South. By 1934, Hawkins was the featured member of the group, and
he set out on his own, touring the country with various local backup bands. He
also toured Europe in Jack Hylton s band in 1934 and, finding success there, toure
d with the Ramblers the next year. Hawkins travels took him from The Hague to Par
is to Zurich and beyond as he toured Europe as a solo performer until 1939.
Hawkins returned to the United States in the summer of 1939 and by the fall had
recorded Body and Soul, which introduced him to a wide American audience and was a
huge success for Hawkins (so much so, in fact, that readers of DownBeat magazin
e voted Hawkins best tenor saxophonist of the year). For the next several years,
Hawkins toured the United States with various bands, either his or those formed
by other musicians, made studio recordings and returned to Europe for tours in
1948, 1949, 1950 and 1954.
Later Life and Legacy
During the late 1950s, he continued to appear at major jazz festivals and record
ed prolifically, and when the 1960s rolled around, Hawkins could be found making
film and television appearances and performing at New York s Village Gate and Vil
lage Vanguard with his quartet. By the mid-1960s, however, Coleman Hawkins was s
eriously affected by alcoholism and general ill health, collapsing a few times o
nstage.
His last concert was on April 20, 1969, at the North Park Hotel in Chicago, and
he died just a month later from pneumonia. He is remembered as one of the origin
ators of the bebop style (with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach) and as a huge infl
uence to jazz giants such as Lester Young and Miles Davis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
Ben Pollack: White Hot in Chicago

Ben Pollack and His Park Central Orchestra, cir. 1929. Photo courtesy jazzage.bl
ogspot.
Ben Pollack was an innovative drummer, made numerous recordings and led some of
the hottest dance bands of the 1920s and 30s. In spite of his many contributions
, Pollack remains largely overshadowed by swing era jazz stars like Jimmy McPart
land, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James and Glenn Miller who received b
ig breaks from Pollack when they were still virtually unknown.

Drummer Hal Smith. Photo courtesy Riverwalk Jazz.

Today we hope to tip the scales as we explore the musical legacy of this often o
verlooked jazz man. Drummer Hal Smith joins host David Holt to talk about Ben Po
llack's contribution to jazz.

Ben Pollack got his first break in the music business at a basement nightclub in
the Chicago Loop. Heavily influenced by African American jazz men like King Oli
ver, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings created a buzz playing hot jazz and blues on t
he white side of town in 1922. Ben was a young 'up and comer,' soaking it up fro
m a ringside seat at the Friar's Inn when an invitation to sit in with the Rhyth
m Kings led to a full time job with the band. It was during his stint with the N
ORK that Pollack's playing style was shaped. He once described early white jazz
drumming as "Just a lot of jumping around and throwing sticks."

Ben Pollack. Photo courtesy Red Hot Jazz Archive.

By his own admission Pollack played 'showy drums' at first, saying that "novelty
in a drummer was still the thing, so I thought up some stunts that I thought we
re the nuts. But one night an M.C. asked me to leave out all the fancy stuff whe
n I played the show because it confused an act. So I just played rhythm, and the
guys were so amazed with the easy way they could swing they wanted more drummin
g like it. So I discovered the secret of solid drumming, that is, to feed rather
than overshadow, to send the other guys rather than play a million different be
ats."

Ben Pollack went on to lead some of the hottest early jazz bands in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 1928, the Pollack ensemble (by now a large orchestra) relocated
to New York City and a job at the Little Club. More jazz-luminaries-to-be came o
n board when Jack Teagarden replaced Glenn Miller and Bud Freeman aug