Danny Polo

Danny Polo ( born December 22, 1901 in Clinton, Indiana; † July 11, 1949 in Chicago) was an American clarinettist and saxophonist ( alto and tenor saxophone) of swing.

Life and work

Polo was modeled after his father clarinetist; at the age of eight, he was already playing in marching bands. In his youth he played in a duo with Claude Thornhill; in the 1920s, Danny Polo worked for Elmer Schoebel (1923 ), Merritt Brunies, Arnold Johnson, Ben Bernie, Jean Gold Chain (1926 ) and Paul Ash. In 1927 he became a member of the band The New Yorker, who was also Dave Tough; with Tough he went to Europe on tour, where he worked for various bandleaders like Lud Gluskin in Berlin, George Carhart and Arthur Briggs. From 1930 to 1935 polo played with Bert Ambrose in England, then returned in December 1935 back to the U.S.. In 1938 he again played in England, worked again with Ambrose, then in at Ray Ventura in Paris in 1939. End of the year he returned to the United States played in the early 1940s, among other things, Joe Sullivan, Jack Teagarden (1942 ), in which he also appeared in Bing Crosby's film Birth of the Blues; also in the orchestra by Claude Thornhill, where he served with an interruption until his death in 1949. Shortly, he headed in the Midwest Territory a band, then returned back to 1947 Thornhill, then fell ill and died but soon 48 years old. Polo took two sessions on under his own name, which originated in Europe around 1938/39. He was also on recordings by Jean Gold Chain, Leonard Feather (1939 ), Coleman Hawkins, Joe Sullivan, Benny Carter and George Wettling ( 1939/1940 ), as well as by Jack Teagarden (1941 ) and ( Claude Thornhill ) ( 1947) involved.

Lexigraphic entries

• Carlo Bohländer, Karl -Heinz Holler: Reclams jazz leader. Reclam, Stuttgart, 1977.