Returning to Chicago with the nucleus of the group, Ben Pollack soon had success playing at hotels. He landed a recording contract with the Victor label, recording four numbers in December 1926.

In those performances, one gets the idea of the sound that Pollack was after. He wanted to balance the artistic with the commercial, leaving room for hot solos from his key sidemen along with period vocals and melodic ensembles that included two violinists. He loved jazz but he also wanted some fame and fortune. The hottest number from these dates is “He’s The Last Word” which has a catchy vocal by the Williams Sisters plus the first significant recorded solos by Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.

It would be a year before the band recorded again. By then Pollack had added cornetist Jimmy McPartland as the third major soloist in the group. Despite its potential quality, Pollack’s orchestra only cut two songs that year: “Waitin’ For Katie” which includes Benny Goodman’s only recorded trumpet solo (a few short breaks) and “Memphis Blues.”

Excerpt from Ben Pollack:Profiles in Jazz, by Scott Yanow

Thanks to Owen Miller and Richard Unger for the recordings on this page.