Benny Goodman
from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin David Goodman
Born	May 30, 1909(1909-05-30)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois
Died	June 13, 1986 (aged 77)
Genre(s)	Swing Big band music Sweet bands
Occupation(s)	Musician, Bandleader
Instrument(s)	Clarinet
Years active	1926 - 1986
Label(s)	Bluebird, Columbia, Capitol, Decca, Musicmasters
Website	BennyGoodman.com

Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman^[1] , (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician and virtuoso clarinetist, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman". Image File history File links BennyGoodmanStageDoorCanteen. ... Stage Door Canteen is a 1943 film. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ... A big band, also known as a jazz orchestra, is a large musical ensemble that plays jazz music, especially Swing. ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Bluebird Records was a sub-label of RCA Victor created to counter ARC Records on the 3 records for a dollar market. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ...

Childhood and early years

Goodman was born in Chicago, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from Poland who lived in the Maxwell Street neighborhood. His father, David Goodman, was a tailor from Warsaw, his mother, Dora Rezinski, was from Kaunas. His parents met in Baltimore, Maryland and moved to Chicago before Benny was born.^[2] Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... West Maxwell Street, is a short street in Chicago, Illinois, near Halsted Street and Roosevelt Road. ... For other uses, see Warsaw (disambiguation) and Warszawa (disambiguation). ... Location Ethnographic region AukÅ¡taitija County Kaunas County Municipality Geographic coordinate system Number of elderates 11 General Information Capital of Kaunas County Kaunas city municipality Kaunas district municipality Population 361,274 in 2005 (2nd) First mentioned 1361 Granted city rights 1408 Kaunas ( (help· info), approximate English transcription [ˈkəʊ.nÉ™s... Baltimore redirects here. ...

When Benny was 10, his father signed Benny and two older brothers up for music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. The next year he joined the boys club band at Jane Addams's Hull House, where he received lessons from the director James Sylvester. Also important during this period were his two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist Franz Schoepp.^[3] Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 – May 21, 1935) was a founder of the U.S. Settlement House Movement and the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. ... Hull House was co-founded in 1889, in Chicago, Illinois, by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. ...

His early influences were New Orleans jazz clarinetists working in Chicago, notably Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo, and Jimmy Noone.^[4] Goodman learned quickly and became a strong player at an early age. He was soon playing professionally while still 'in short pants', playing clarinet in various bands. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Johnny Dodds (April 12, 1892 - August 8, 1940) was a jazz clarinetist, and older brother of drummer Baby Dodds. ... Leon Roppolo (March 16, 1902 – October 5, 1943) was a prominent early jazz clarinetist, best known for his playing with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. ... Jimmie Noone (sometimes spelled Jimmy Noone) (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an early jazz clarinetist. ...

When Goodman was 16, he joined one of Chicago's top bands, the Ben Pollack Orchestra, with which he made his first recordings in 1926.^[5] He made his first record under his own name two years later. Remaining with Pollack through 1929, Goodman recorded with both the regular Pollack band as well as smaller groups drawn from the orchestra. The side sessions produced scores of often hot sides recorded for the various dime-store record labels under a bewildering array of group names, such as Mills' Musical Clowns, Goody's Good Timers, The Hotsy Totsy Gang, Jimmy Backen's Toe Ticklers, Dixie Daisies, and Kentucky Grasshoppers. Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 - June 7, 1971) was a drummer and bandleader from the mid 1920s through the swing era. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Goodman's father, David, was a working-class immigrant about whom Benny said (interview, 'Downbeat', Feb 8, 1956); "...Pop worked in the stockyards, shoveling lard in its unrefined state. He had those boots, and he'd come home at the end of the day exhausted, stinking to high heaven, and when he walked in it made me sick. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the idea of Pop every day standing in that stuff, shoveling it around". ÊÊÊÊThe Union Stock Yard & Transit Co. ...

On December 9, 1929 David Goodman was killed in a traffic accident shortly after Benny joined the Pollack band and had urged his father to retire, now that he (Benny) and his brother (Harry) were doing well as professional musicians. According to James Lincoln Collier, "Pop looked Benny in the eye and said, 'Benny, you take care of yourself, I'll take care of myself.'" Collier continues: "It was an unhappy choice. Not long afterwards, as he was stepping down from a street car — according to one story — he was struck by a car. He never regained consciousness and died in the hospital the next day. It was a bitter blow to the family, and it haunted Benny to the end that his beloved father had not lived to see the enormous success he, and some of the others, made of themselves. The years that the immigrant David Goodman had sweated in the stockyards and the garment lofts had paid off in a way he could never have possibly imagined, and he never got that reward."^[6] "Benny described his father's death as 'the saddest thing that ever happened in our family.'"^[7] is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Career

Goodman left for New York City and became a successful session musician during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He made a reputation as a solid player who was prepared and reliable. He played with the nationally known bands of Ben Selvin, Red Nichols, Isham Jones, and Ted Lewis. He also recorded musical soundtracks for movie shorts; some fans are convinced that Benny Goodman's clarinet can be heard on the soundtrack of One A. M., a Charlie Chaplin comedy re-released to theaters in 1934. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 - July 15, 1980), son of Russian-immigrant Jewish parents, started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player in New York City night clubs. ... Ernest Loring Red Nichols (May 8, 1905–June 28, 1965) was a United States jazz cornettist. ... Isham Jones, 1922 Isham Jones (31 January 1894 – 19 October 1956) was a United States bandleader, violinist, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter. ... Theodore Leopold Friedman, better known as Ted Lewis (June 6, 1890-August 25, 1971), was an American entertainer, bandleader, singer, and musician. ... Charles Chaplin redirects here. ...

In 1934 Goodman auditioned for NBC's Let's Dance, a well regarded radio program that featured various styles of dance music. Since he needed new arrangements every week for the show, his agent, John Hammond, suggested that he purchase jazz charts from Fletcher Henderson, who had New York's most popular African-American band in the 1920s and early 1930s. This article is about the television network. ... Lets Dance was a Saturday night radio music program broadcast by NBC in the mid-1930s. ... John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ... Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ...

The combination of Goodman's solid clarinet playing, the Henderson charts, and the well-rehearsed band made Goodman a rising star in the mid-1930s. In early 1935, Goodman and his band were one of three bands featured on Let's Dance. His radio broadcasts from New York aired too late to attract a large East Coast audience. However, the timeslot gave him an avid following on the West Coast, and a wildly enthusiastic crowd greeted Goodman for the first time in California. He and his band remained on Let's Dance until May of that year when a strike forced the cancellation of the radio show.

With nothing else to do, the band set out on a tour of America. However, at a number of engagements the band received a hostile reception, as many in the audiences expected smoother, sweeter jazz as opposed to the "hot" style that Goodman's band was accustomed to playing. By August of 1935, Goodman found himself with a band that was nearly broke, disillusioned and ready to quit. It was at this moment that everything for the band and jazz changed.

Palomar Ballroom engagement

The last scheduled stop of the tour came on August 21, 1935 at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. Goodman and his band were scheduled for a three-week engagement. The Palomar provided the ideal environment, as there was a huge dance floor with a capacity of 4,000 couples. On hand for the engagement were famed musicians Gene Krupa, Bunny Berigan, and Helen Ward. The first night, Goodman and his band cautiously began playing recently purchased stock arrangements. The reaction was, at best, tepid. Seeing the reaction, Krupa said "If we're gonna die, Benny, let's die playing our own thing." ^[8] As George Spink states: is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The Palomar Ballroom was a famous ballroom in Los Angeles, California. ... Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ... Bunny Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an early, great jazz trumpeter. ... Helen Ward (1916-1998) was a singer of swing music perhaps best known for singing in Benny Goodmans first band. ...

At the beginning of the next set, Goodman told the band to put aside the stock arrangements and called for charts by Fletcher Henderson and other swing arrangers who were writing for the band. When trumpeter Bunny Berigan played his solos on Henderson’s versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "King Porter Stomp," the Palomar dancers cheered like crazy and exploded with no applause! They gathered around the bandstand to listen to this new music. ^[8] ...

Over the nights of the engagement, a new dance labeled the "Jitterbug" captured the dancers on the floor, and a new craze had begun.^[9] Onlookers gathered around the edges of the ballroom floor. Within days of the opening, newspapers around the country were headlining stories about the new phenomenon that had started at the Palomar. Goodman was finally a nationally known star, and the Swing Era began, led by Goodman. Following this the big band era exploded. The Jitterbug is a swing dance, a subset of Lindy Hop, with an emphasis on 6-count moves and fast spins. ... The Swing Era was the period of time (1935-1946) when big band swing music was the most popular music in America. ...

Carnegie Hall concert

In bringing jazz to Carnegie, [Benny Goodman was], in effect, smuggling American contraband into the halls of European high culture, and Goodman and his 15 men pull[ed] it off with the audacity and precision of Ocean's Eleven.^[10] Oceans Eleven is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. ... Oceans Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film Oceans Eleven. ...

In late 1937, Goodman's publicist Wynn Nathanson attempted a publicity stunt in the form of suggesting Goodman and his band should play Carnegie Hall in New York City. "Benny Goodman was initially hesitant about the concert, fearing for the worst; however, when his film Hollywood Hotel opened to rave reviews and giant lines, he threw himself into the work. He gave up several dates and insisted on holding rehearsals inside Carnegie Hall to familiarize the band with the lively acoustics."^[11] Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

The concert was scheduled for January 16, 1938. It sold out weeks before, with the capacity 2,760 seats going for the top price of US$2.75 a seat, for the time a very high price. Once again, initial crowd reaction, though polite, was tepid. Some of the earlier sets, including a jam session featuring members of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands as guests, did not go as well as hoped. As the concert went on, things livened up. Some of the later trio and quartet numbers were well-received, and a vocal on "Loch Lomond" by Martha Tilton, though nothing special, provoked five curtain calls and cries for an encore. The encore forced Goodman to make his only audience announcement for the night, stating that they had no encore prepared but that Martha would return shortly with another number. is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Martha Tilton (born November 14, 1915 in Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American popular singer best-known for her 1939 recording of And the Angels Sing with Benny Goodman. ...

By the time the band got to the climactic piece "Sing, Sing, Sing," success of the night was assured. Bettering the commercial 12-inch record, this live performance featured playing by tenor saxophonist Babe Russin, trumpeter Harry James, and then Benny Goodman, backed by drummer Gene Krupa in accompaniment. But the really unforgettable moment came when Goodman finished his solo and unexpectedly tossed the ball to pianist Jess Stacy. "At the Carnegie Hall concert, after the usual theatrics, Jess Stacy was allowed to solo and, given the venue, what followed was appropriate. Used to just playing rhythm on the tune, he was unprepared for a turn in the spotlight, but what came out of his fingers was a graceful, impressionistic marvel with classical flourishes, yet still managed to swing. It was the best thing he ever did, and it's ironic that such a layered, nuanced performance came at the end of such a chaotic, bombastic tune."^[12] Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) is a 1936 song written by Louis Prima that has become one of the definitive songs of the big band and Swing Era. ... Irving Babe Russin (June 18, 1911 - August 4, 1984) was a tenor saxophone player. ... Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was a popular United States musician and band leader, and a well-known trumpet virtuoso. ... Jess Stacy (August 11, 1904 - January 1, 1995) was a American jazz pianist who began during the Swing Era. ...

This concert has been regarded by some as the most significant in jazz history. After years of work by musicians from all over the country, jazz had finally been accepted by mainstream audiences. While the big band era would not last for much longer, it was from this point forward that the ground work for multiple other genres of popular music was laid.

Recordings were made of this concert, but even by the technology of the day the equipment used was not of the finest quality. Acetate recordings of the concert were made, and aluminum studio masters were also cut. In sound recording an acetate disc is a reference audio disc used during production of a gramophone record (e. ...

The recording was produced by Albert Marx as a special gift for his wife, Helen Ward and a second set for Benny. He contracted Artists Recording Studio to make 2 sets. Artists Recording only had 2 turntables so they farmed out the second set to Raymond Scott's recording studio. [...] It was Benny's sister-in-law who found the recordings in Benny's apartment [in 1950] and brought them to Benny's attention.^[13]

In early 1998, the aluminum masters were rediscovered and a new CD set of the concert was released based on these masters.

Charlie Christian

Pianist/arranger Mary Lou Williams[1] was a good friend of Columbia records producer John Hammond's and Benny Goodman's. She first suggested to John Hammond that he see Charlie Christian.[2] Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. ... Charlie Christian (29 July 1916 – 2 March 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. ...

Charlie Christian was playing at the Ritz Cafe in Oklahoma City where [...] John Hammond heard him in 1939. Hammond recommended him to Benny Goodman, but the band leader wasn't interested. The idea of an electrified guitar didn't appeal, and Goodman didn't care for Christian's flashy style of dressing. Reportedly, Hammond personally installed Christian onstage during a break in a Goodman concert in Beverly Hills. Irritated to see Christian among the band, Goodman struck up "Rose Room," not expecting the guitarist to know the tune. What followed amazed everyone who heard the 45-minute performance.[3]

Charlie was a hit on the electric guitar and remained in the Benny Goodman Sextet for two years (1939-1941). He wrote many of the group's head arrangements (some of which Goodman took credit for) and was an inspiration to all. The sextet made him famous and provided him with a steady income while Charlie worked on legitimizing, popularizing, revolutionizing, and standardizing the electric guitar as a jazz instrument.[4]

Christian eventually stayed in New York City, jamming with bop musicians at Minton's in Harlem. "Charlie impressed them all by improvising long lines that emphasized off beats, and by using altered chords."[5] Charlie Christian died in Staten Island, March 2, 1942 of tuberculosis. Helping to broaden the form of jazz, Benny Goodman gave the nascent talent a huge start. Charlie Christian's recordings and rehearsal dubs he made at Columbia records with Benny Goodman in the early forties are widely known and widely respected. is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Beyond swing

Goodman with his band and singer, Peggy Lee, in the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)

Goodman continued his meteoric rise throughout the late 1930s with his big band, his trio and quartet, and a sextet. He influenced almost every jazz musician who played clarinet after him. However, in time the movement in jazz that he ignited in 1935 began to fade. By the mid-1940s, big bands lost a lot of their popularity. There were several reasons for this decline. In 1941, ASCAP had a licensing war with music publishers. In 1942 to 1944 and 1948, the major musicians union went on strike against the major record labels in the United States, and singers took the spot in popularity that the big bands once enjoyed.[6] Also, by the late 1940s, swing was no longer the dominant mode of jazz musicians.[7] Image File history File links BennyGoodmanandBandStageDoorCanteen. ... Image File history File links BennyGoodmanandBandStageDoorCanteen. ... Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American jazz and traditional pop singer and songwriter and Oscar-nominated performer. ... Stage Door Canteen is a 1943 film. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s, although there are many big-bands around nowadays. ...

Be bop, Cool Jazz

By the 1940s, jazz musicians were borrowing some of the more advanced ideas that classical musicians had been using. Be bop and then later cool jazz were beginning to be heard. The recordings Goodman made in the bop style for Capitol Records were highly praised by jazz critics. When Goodman was starting a bebop band, he hired Buddy Greco, Zoot Sims, Wardell Gray and a few other modern players.^[14] Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Buddy Greco (born August 14, 1926 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American singer and pianist. ... John Haley Zoot Sims was an American jazz musician. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Pianist/arranger Mary Lou Williams had been a favorite of Benny's since she first appeared on the national scene in 1936 [...]. [A]s Goodman warily approached the music of [Charlie] Parker and [Dizzy] Gillespie, he turned to Williams for musical guidance. [...] Pianist Mel Powell was the first to introduce the new music to Benny in 1945, and kept him abreast to what was happening around 52nd Street.^[14] Mel Powell (born Melvin Epstein, February 12, 1923 in New York City - April 24, 1998 in Valencia, California) was a jazz pianist and serial composer. ...

Goodman enjoyed the new music of bebop and cool jazz that was beginning to arrive in the nineteen forties. When Goodman heard Thelonious Monk, a celebrated pianist and accompanist to bop players Parker, Gillespie and Kenny Clarke, he remarked, "I like it, I like that very much. I like the piece and I like the way he played it. [...] I think he's got a sense of humor and he's got some good things there."^[14] Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer. ...

'Benny had heard this Swedish clarinet player named Stan Hasselgard playing bebop, and he loved it [...] [.]' 'So he started a bebop band. But after a year and a half, he became frustrated. He eventually reformed his band and went back to playing Fletcher Henderson arrangements. Benny was a swing player and decided to concentrate on what he does [sic] best.[8] Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ...

By 1953, Goodman completely changed his mind about bebop. "Maybe bop has done more to set music back for years than anything [...] Basically it's all wrong. It's not even knowing the scales. [...] Bop was mostly publicity and people figuring angles."^[15]

Forays into the Classical Repertoire

After his bop period, Goodman furthered his interest in classical music written for the clarinet, and frequently met with top classical clarinetists of the day as well.

In 1949, when he was 40, Goodman decided to study with Reginald Kell, one of the world's leading classical clarinetists. To do so, he had to change his entire technique: instead of holding the mouthpiece between his front teeth and lower lip, as he had done since he first took a clarinet in hand 30 years earlier, Goodman learned to adjust his embouchure to the use of both lips and even to use new fingering techniques. He had his old finger calluses removed and started to learn how to play his clarinet again--almost from scratch.[9] Reginald Kell (born York, England 1906, died 5 Aug 1981, Frankfort, Kentucky, USA) was a British clarinettist. ...

Goodman commissioned and premiered works by leading composers for clarinet and symphony orchestra that are now part of the standard repertoire, namely Contrasts by Béla Bartók, Clarinet Concerto No. 2 Op. 115 by Malcolm Arnold and Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto. While Leonard Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs was commissioned for Woody Herman's big band, it was premiered by Goodman. While the Ebony Concerto by Igor Stravinsky is generally also thought to be written for Goodman, it was actually also written for Woody Herman in 1945, and premiered by him in 1946. "Many years later Stravinsky made another recording, this time with Benny Goodman as the soloist."[10] He twice recorded Mozart's clarinet quintet, once in the late 1930s with the Budapest String Quartet and once in the middle 1950s with the Boston Symphony Orchestra String Quartet; he also recorded the clarinet concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber, and Carl Nielsen.^[16] Orchestra at City Hall (Edmonton). ... Contrasts (Sz. ... Bartok redirects here. ... Sir Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. ... Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer of concert and film music, as well as an accomplished pianist. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Leonard Bernstein in 1971 Leonard Bernstein (IPA pronunciation: )[1] (August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, and pianist. ... Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs is a jazz-in-concert hall composition written by Leonard Bernstein for a jazz ensemble, which features a solo clarinet. ... Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987), better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... Mozarts Clarinet quintet in A major, K. 581 was written in 1789 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. ... The Budapest Quartet was in existence from 1917 to 1967. ... The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the worlds premiere orchestras. ... Mozarts Clarinet concerto in A major, K. 622 was written in 1791 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. ... Carl Nielsens Clarinet Concerto was written for Danish clarinetist Aage Oxenvad in 1928. ...

Other recordings of classical repertoire by Goodman are^[17]:

• Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet by Claude Debussy
• Sonata no. 2 in E flat by Johannes Brahms
• Rondo from Grand Duo Concertant in E flat from Carl Maria von Weber, and
• An arrangement by Simeon Bellison of van Beethoven's Variations on a theme from Mozart's Don Giovanni

Claude Debussy, photo by Félix Nadar, 1908. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of the Romantic period. ... Simeon Bellison (December 4, 1883 – May 4, 1953), born in Moscow, he was naturalised American after settling in the US in 1921. ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ...

Touring with "Satchmo"

After forays outside of swing, Goodman started a new band in 1953. According to Donald Clarke, this was not a happy time for Goodman.

In 1953 Goodman re-formed his classic band for an expensive tour with Louis Armstrong’s All Stars that turned into a famous disaster. He managed to insult Armstrong at the beginning; then he was appalled at the vaudeville aspects of Louis’s act [...] a contradiction of everything Goodman stood for.^[18] Louis[1] Armstrong[2] (4 August 1901[3] – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo[4] and Pops, was an American jazz musician. ...

The movies

Benny Goodman's band appeared as a specialty act in major musical features, including The Big Broadcast of 1937, Hollywood Hotel (1938), Syncopation (1942), The Powers Girl (1942), Stage Door Canteen (1943), The Gang's All Here (1943), Sweet and Lowdown (1944) and A Song Is Born (1948). Goodman's only starring feature was Sweet and Low Down (1944).

Goodman's success story was told in the 1955 motion picture The Benny Goodman Story[11] with Steve Allen and Donna Reed. A Universal-International production, it was a follow up to 1954's successful The Glenn Miller Story. The screenplay was heavily fictionalized (Benny confessed that he and his wife would look at the finished film and laugh through it), but the music was the real drawing card. Many of Goodman's professional colleagues appear in the film, including Ben Pollack. Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton. and Harry James. Steve Allen on the cover of Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American musician, comedian, and writer who was instrumental in innovating the concept of the television talk show. ... Main title caption from Dallas. ... Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 - June 7, 1971) was a drummer and bandleader from the mid 1920s through the swing era. ... Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ... Lionel Hampton with George W. Bush Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908, Louisville, Kentucky – August 31, 2002 New York City), was a jazz bandleader and percussionist. ... Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was a popular United States musician and band leader, and a well-known trumpet virtuoso. ...

Personality and Influence on American Popular Music

Goodman was regarded by some as a demanding taskmaster, by others an arrogant and eccentric martinet. Many musicians spoke of "The Ray"^[19] , Goodman's trademark glare that he bestowed on a musician who failed to perform to his demanding standards. Guitarist Allan Reuss incurred the maestro's displeasure on one occasion, and Goodman relegated him to the rear of the bandstand, where his contribution would be totally drowned out by the other musicians. Vocalists Anita O'Day and Helen Forrest spoke bitterly of their experiences singing with Goodman.^[20] "The twenty or so months I spent with Benny felt like twenty years," said Forrest. "When I look back, they seem like a life sentence." He could also be incredibly self-absorbed; it is reported that when eating an egg onto which a ketchup bottle cap had fallen, Goodman simply ate around it.^[10] At the same time, there are reports that he privately funded several college educations and was sometimes very generous, though always secretly. When a friend asked him why one time, he reportedly said, "Well, if they knew about it, everyone would come to me with their hand out."^[20]

Some suggest that Elvis Presley had the same success with rock and roll that Goodman achieved with jazz and swing. Both helped bring black music to a young, white audience. However Goodman is arguably the most important figure in popular music in the twentieth century. Without Goodman there would not have been a swing era. It is true that many of Goodman's arrangements had been played for years before by Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. While Goodman publicly acknowledged his debt to Henderson, many young white swing fans had never heard Henderson's band. While most consider Goodman a jazz innovator, others maintain his main strength was his perfectionism and drive. Goodman was a virtuoso clarinetist and amongst the most technically proficient jazz clarinetists of all time. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ...

Goodman is also responsible for a significant step in racial integration in America. In the early 1930s, black and white jazz musicians could not play together in most clubs or concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke with tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him and drummer Gene Krupa in the Benny Goodman Trio. In 1936, he added Lionel Hampton on vibes to form the Benny Goodman Quartet; in 1939 he added pioneering jazz guitarist Charlie Christian to his band and small ensembles, who played with him until his untimely death from tuberculosis less than three years later. To give an understanding of American history at this time, Goodman's integration of popular music happened ten years before Jackie Robinson became the first black American to enter Major League Baseball. "[Goodman's] popularity was such that he could remain financially viable without touring the South, where he would have been subject to arrest for violating Jim Crow laws." [12] Children at a parade in North College Hill, Ohio Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation). ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... Racial segregation characterised by separation of different races in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... Theodore Shaw Teddy Wilson (born November 24, 1912 in Austin, Texas-died July 31, 1986 in New Britain, Connecticut) was a United States jazz pianist. ... For the comic book character, see Drummer (comics). ... Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lionel Hampton with George W. Bush Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908, Louisville, Kentucky – August 31, 2002 New York City), was a jazz bandleader and percussionist. ... A quartet is a group of four identical or similar objects, or a grouping of four persons for a common purpose. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jazz guitar refers to the use of guitar in jazz music. ... Charlie Christian (29 July 1916 – 2 March 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. ... Major Leagues redirects here. ...

John Hammond and Alice Goodman

One of Benny Goodman's closest friends off and on, from the 1930s onward was celebrated Columbia records producer John H. Hammond. John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ...

John Henry Hammond, Jr. was born December 15, 1910 in an eight-story mansion in New York City. He was the son of John Henry Hammond Sr., a very successful businessman and lawyer, and Emily Vanderbilt Sloan Hammond, an heir to the Sloan Furniture and Vanderbilt fortunes. John H. Hammond , Jr. attended the esteemed Hotchkiss Prep School and Yale University.^[22] John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ...

Hammond and Goodman were so close that Hammond influenced Goodman's move from RCA records to the newly created Columbia records in 1939.^[23] Benny Goodman dated John H. Hammond's sister, Alice Hammond Duckworth (? - 1978) for three months. They married on March 14, 1942. They had two daughters, Benjie and Rachel.^[24] Both daughters studied music to some degree, though neither became the musical prodigy Goodman was. Hammond had encouraged Goodman to integrate his band, having persuaded him to employ pianist Teddy Wilson. He all but forced Goodman to audition Charlie Christian, Goodman believing no one would listen to an electric guitarist. But Hammond's tendency to interfere in the musical affairs of Goodman's and other bands led to Goodman pulling away from him. In 1953 they had another falling-out during Goodman's ill-fated tour with Louis Armstrong, which was produced by John Hammond.^[25] Goodman appeared on a 1975 PBS salute to Hammond but remained at a distance. In the 1980s, following the death of Alice Goodman, John Hammond and Benny Goodman, both by then elderly, reconciled. On June 25, 1985, Goodman appeared at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City for "A Tribute to John Hammond".^[26] John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ... Theodore Shaw Teddy Wilson (born November 24, 1912 in Austin, Texas-died July 31, 1986 in New Britain, Connecticut) was a United States jazz pianist. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

Later years

Goodman continued to play on records and in small groups. One exception to this pattern was a collaboration with George Benson in the 1970s. The two had met when they taped a PBS salute to John Hammond and re-created some of the famous Goodman-Charlie Christian duets.^[27] Benson later appeared on several tracks of a Goodman album released as "Seven Come Eleven." In general Goodman continued to play in the swing style he was most known for. He did, however, practice and perform classical music clarinet pieces and commissioned some pieces for the clarinet. Periodically he would organize a new band and play a jazz festival or go on an international tour. George Benson (b. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... John Henry Hammond (December 15, 1910–July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. ... Charlie Christian (29 July 1916 – 2 March 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. ...

Despite increasing health problems, he continued to play the clarinet until his death from a heart attack in New York City in 1986 at the age of 77. A longtime resident of Pound Ridge, New York, Benny Goodman is interred in the Long Ridge Cemetery, Stamford, Connecticut. The same year, Goodman was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[28] Benny Goodman's musical papers were donated to Yale University after his death.^[3] Heart attack redirects here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Pound Ridge is a town located in Westchester County, New York. ... Nickname: Location in Connecticut Coordinates: , NECTA Region Settled 1641 Incorporated (city) 1893 Consolidated 1949 Government  - Type Mayor-Board of representatives  - Mayor Dannel Malloy (Dem) Area  - City 134. ... The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording [1]. This award is distinct from the Grammy Hall of Fame Award, which honors specific recordings rather than individuals, and...

Discography

• A Jazz Holiday (1928, Decca)
• Benny Goodman and the Giants of Swing (1929, Prestige)
• BG and Big Tea in NYC (1929, GRP)
• Swinging '34 Vols. 1 & 2 (1934, Melodean)
• Sing, Sing, Sing (1935, Bluebird)
• The Birth of Swing (1935, Bluebird)
• Original Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Sessions, Vol. 1: After You've Gone (1935, Bluebird)
• Stomping at the Savoy (1935, Bluebird)
• Air Play (1936, Doctor Jazz)
• Roll 'Em, Vol. 1 (1937, Columbia)
• Roll 'Em, Vol. 2 (1937, CBS)
• From Spirituals to Swing (1938, Vanguard)
• Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (1938, Columbia)
• Carnegie Hall Concert Vols. 1, 2, & 3 (Live) (1938, Columbia)
• Ciribiribin (Live) (1939, Giants of Jazz)
• Swingin' Down the Lane (Live) (1939, Giants of Jazz)
• Featuring Charlie Christian (1939, Columbia)
• Eddie Sauter Arrangements (1940, Columbia)
• Swing Into Spring (1941, Columbia)
• Undercurrent Blues (1947, Blue Note)
• Swedish Pastry (1948, Dragon)
• Sextet (1950, Columbia)
• BG in Hi-fi (1954, Capitol)
• Peggy Lee Sings with Benny Goodman (1957, Harmony)
• Benny in Brussels Vols. 1 & 2 (1958, Columbia)
• In Stockholm 1959 (1959, Phontastic)
• The Benny Goodman Treasure Chest (1959, MGM)
• The King Swings Star Line
• Pure Gold (1992)
• 1935-1938 (1998)
• Portrait of Benny Goodman (Portrait Series) (1998)
• Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert '38 (1998)
• Bill Dodge All-star Recording (1999)
• 1941-1955 His Orchestra and His (1999)
• Live at Carnegie Hall (1999)

The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, was first issued in 1950. ... Charlie Christian (29 July 1916 – 2 March 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. ...

Samples

• of "And the Angels Sing" by Benny Goodman and Martha Tilton, a legendary swing recording that helped keep Goodman's career afloat as the band members departed.

Martha Tilton (born November 14, 1915 in Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American popular singer best-known for her 1939 recording of And the Angels Sing with Benny Goodman. ... Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States. ...

References

Note: Public Broadcasting Services is a broadcaster in Malta. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liner notes are the booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or any sound recording container. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... February 30 occurs in some calendars, unlike the Gregorian calendar, where February contains only 28 or 29 days. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Benny Goodman

• Benny Goodman official site
• Benny Goodman Biography at PBS Kids
• Benny Goodman scores (a portion of the musician's estate) in the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Peforming Arts.
• Benny Goodman papers (the bulk of the musician's estate) in Irving S. Gilmore Music Library of Yale University