Miff Mole and His Dixieland Orchestra - Ballin' The Jack ~1944

What I'm about to write won't hold a candle to the reputation this person achieved in his life, and that person is the one and only Miff Mole. Irving Milfred Mole was born March 11, 1898 in Greenwich Point (Roosevelt), Long Island, New York. He studied violin and piano as a child but switched to the trombone as a teenager. At the age of 20, he began playing professionally with the "Acme Sextet". This lasted a year, followed by a stint in Gus Sharp's orchestra for the next two years. All the while, he would also find work playing for silent film and radio orchestras, but by the 1920's, word of his talent had gotten out. Mole's solo style, which included octave-leaps, shakes, and rapid-fire cadenzas, had a profound effect on jazz trombone playing in his time. In fact, he wound up in just about every jazz and dance band worth mentioning including the Original Memphis Five and playing in the greatest band in New York under names like Ross Gorman, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Sam Lanin, Ray Miller and MANY others.

From 1926-1929, he and trumpeter Red Nichols formed a band called "Miff Mole and His Little Molers", being comprised of names like Eddie Lang, Jimmy Dorsey, and Vic Berton. In the same time period and based on the success of the initial band, the pair found themselves creating all sorts of groups such as The Red Heads, The Hottentots, The Charleston Chasers, The Six Hottentots, The Cotton Pickers, Red and Miff's Stompers, and especially Red Nichols and His Five Pennies.

In the late 1920's, a newcomer arrived in New York with a more legato blues oriented style and created some competition for Mole. In 1927, amidst the work with Red Nichols, Miff was working radio gigs on WOR, but in 1929, switched over to NBC and would remain their playing in many bands under just as many band leaders through the years. In 1938, he stretched his legs a bit, taking a seat in Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, using a different style to adapt to the public's changing tastes, but employing the same precision in doing so. He remained with Whiteman until 1940, and would join Benny Goodman's Orchestra in 1942-1943. He would once again take up leading a band around that same time with today's band, "Miff Mole and His Dixieland Orchestra". This song is called "Ballin' The Jack", originally written by Chris Smith and Jim Burris, and features the following talent: Miff Mole of course (trombone), Sterling Bose (trumpet), Pee Wee Russell (clarinet), Eddie Condon (guitar), Gene Schroeder (piano), Bob Casey (bass), and Joe Grauso (drums). The recording took place in New York City on February 9, 1944.

Following his Dixieland band's demise, he found work in Chicago from 1947-1954, however failing health in his last years saw him playing and performing less and less. He would pass away in New York City on April 29, 1961. Through his life, Miff Mole cemented himself among the jazz greats, with names like Bill Rank, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Jimmy Harrison taking inspiration and styling cues from Mole's playing over the years acting as a testament to his talent.