MIFF MOLE'S MOLERS

Biography

Irving Milfred Mole, professionally known as Miff Mole, was born on March 11, 1898, in what is now Roosevelt, Long Island, New York. He began his musical training on violin and piano as a child before switching to trombone at age 15, initially playing in Gus Sharp's orchestra and local movie houses accompanying silent films. By 1918, Mole was working with various bands, emerging in the 1920s as the first distinctive jazz trombone stylist on the New York scene, known for his energetic, imaginative slide work in recording and radio studios.[1][3][5]

In 1922, Mole co-founded the Original Memphis Five with Phil Napoleon and became a sought-after sideman for leaders like Ross Gorman, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Sam Lanin, and Ray Miller. His most influential partnership was with cornetist Red Nichols in the mid-1920s, recording under names such as Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, Miff Mole’s Little Molers (also known as Molers), The Charleston Chasers, The Red Heads, and Red and Miff’s Stompers. Mole's Molers was essentially a pseudonym for Nichols' Five Pennies on Okeh Records. He backed Sophie Tucker on key 1927 recordings and live shows, and later joined Paul Whiteman in 1938, Benny Goodman in 1942, leading his own Dixieland groups until 1947, then working in Chicago until 1954.[1][2][3][8]

Mole pioneered the first influential solo jazz trombone style, blending ragtime and early jazz elements with melodic improvisation, influencing the genre's development. He passed away on April 29, 1961, leaving a legacy as 'the trombone player's trombone player,' per Tommy Dorsey, despite personal struggles later in life.[1][2]

Fun Facts

• Miff Mole's Molers was primarily a pseudonym for Red Nichols' Five Pennies when recording for Okeh, blending their talents under Mole's name.[8]
• Mole accompanied Sophie Tucker, 'The Last of the Red Hot Mammas,' on hits like 'After You've Gone' and live shows with stars like Eddie Lang and Jimmy Dorsey.[2][3]
• His 1925 recording of 'Davenport Blues' with Bix Beiderbecke and Tommy Dorsey appeared in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[2]
• Tommy Dorsey dubbed Mole 'the trombone player's trombone player' for his pioneering solos that jazz trombonists transcribed to learn from.[2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jack Teagarden - stylistic influence emulated by Mole in later career (Paul Whiteman orchestra recordings) [1938-1940]

Key Collaborators

• Red Nichols - primary musical counterpart and co-leader of multiple bands (Red Nichols and His Five Pennies (Brunswick), Miff Mole’s Little Molers (Okeh), Red and Miff’s Stompers (Victor), Charleston Chasers (Columbia)) [1925-1929]
• Phil Napoleon - co-founder of band (Original Memphis Five) [1922]
• Sophie Tucker - band backed her recordings and live performances; band included Eddie Lang, Jimmy Dorsey, Red Nichols, Vic Berton (After You've Gone, Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, I Ain't Got Nobody, One Sweet Letter From You (Okeh)) [1927]
• Jimmy Dorsey - band member in Five Pennies and Sophie Tucker sessions (Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, Sophie Tucker recordings) [1920s]
• Eddie Lang - guitarist in band for Sophie Tucker and Five Pennies (Sophie Tucker 1927 Okeh sessions, Red Nichols groups) [1920s]
• Paul Whiteman - sideman in orchestra (Paul Whiteman orchestra) [1938-1940]
• Benny Goodman - member of orchestra (Benny Goodman orchestra) [1942-1943]

Artists Influenced

• Tommy Dorsey - earliest admirer who transcribed Mole's solos; called him 'the trombone player's trombone player' (general jazz trombone style development) [1920s onward]
• Jack Teagarden - Mole emulated Teagarden's style later, but Mole's early work influenced subsequent trombonists (Original Memphis Five and Five Pennies solos) [1920s-1930s]

External Links

• Spotify