JHC
Chief assistant to the assistant chief
OK The Goodman Band was not Jazz it was swing but it was a very good swing band and did lead to the Benny Goodman Trio and later Quartet which were unashamedly Jazz ensembles.
Benny Goodman : Born: 30 May 1909
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Died: 13 June 1986
Best Known As: Clarinettist nicknamed "The King of Swing"
Benny Goodman :
He was 10 when he first picked up a clarinet, a year or so later he was doing Ted Lewis imitations. When Benny was 12, his father enrolled him and two of his older brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogueand and at 14 he was in a band that featured Bix Beiderbecke. By the time he was 16 he was recognized as a "comer" as far away as the west coast and was asked to join a California-based band led by another Chicago boy, Ben Pollack with whome he stayed for about 8-10 years.
at just 20 Benny struck out on his own to become a freelance musician in the big “A”
By 1934 after various gigs he was seasoned enough to be ready for his first big break. Billy Rose needed a band for his new theatre restaurant, the Music Hall, and Benny got together a group of musicians who shared his enthusiasm for jazz. They auditioned and got the job.
The band set out on a tour of America in May 1935, but was poorly received, by August 1935, Goodman found himself with a band that was nearly broke, disillusioned and ready to quit.
On January 16, 1938, Sol Hurok, the most prestigious impresario in America, booked the Benny Goodman band into Carnegie Hall. For generations Carnegie Hall had been the nation's greatest temple of musical art, home of the New York Philharmonic and scene of every important artist's debut (even if they had played in a hundred other concert halls first).
So this was a debut not only for Benny Goodman but for jazz aka (swing) Though many others followed him to Carnegie Hall, there has never been another concert with such an impact. It even made his "classical" Carnegie Hall debut more newsworthy a few years later when Benny returned there to launch his second career, as a soloist with major symphony orchestras and chamber groups.
The BG Orchestra :
Benny Goodman was indisputably the King of Swing - the title was invented by Gene Krupa - and he reigned as such thereafter until his death in 1986 at age 77. Over the years he played with the greatest figures in jazz: Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Mildred Bailey, Bessie Smith and countless others.
The Carnegie Hall concert
In late 1937, Goodman's publicist Wynn Nathanson attempted a publicity stunt by suggesting Goodman and his band should play Carnegie Hall in New York City. If this concert were to take place, then Benny Goodman would be the first Jazz band leader to perform in Carnegie hall. "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."
The concert was the evening of 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. The concert began with three contemporary numbers from the Goodman band—"Don't Be That Way," "Sometimes I'm Happy," and "One O'Clock Jump." They then played a history of jazz, starting with a Dixieland quartet performing "Sensation Rag." Once again, initial crowd reaction, though polite, was tepid. Then came a jam session on "Honeysuckle Rose" featuring members of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands as guests. (The surprise of the session: Goodman handing a solo to Basie's guitarist Freddie Greene who was never a featured soloist but earned his reputation as the best rhythm guitarist in the genre—he responded with a striking round of chord improvisations.) As the concert went on, things livened up. The Goodman band and quartet took over the stage and performed the numbers that had already made them famous. Some later trio and quartet numbers were well-received, and a vocal on "Loch Lomond" by Martha Tilton 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.
By the time the band got to the climactic piece "Sing, Sing, Sing", success was assured. This performance featured playing by tenor saxophonist Babe Russin, trumpeterHarry James, and Benny Goodman, backed by drummer Gene Krupa. When Goodman finished his solo, he unexpectedly gave a solo 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," wrote David Rickert. "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."
This concert has been regarded as one of 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.
Sing Sing Sing
this is from the Hollywood Hotel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJ4dpNal_k
Shhhh “A very nasty rumer of the time”
Known by musicians for his stand-offish and “cheap” nature, many sidemen had a love/hate relationship with Goodman. Many musicians claimed that Benny was dishonest when it came time to pay off the band and many more recalled the Goodman “ray”, the dirtiest of looks received when a mistake was made.This could be stereo type casting???
THE TRIO
This section is the shortest but for me it is the best kind of Goodman.
In 1935, The Benny Goodman Trio [Benny Goodman clarinet, Gene Krupa drums, Teddy Wilson Piano] created a style of "chamber jazz" that emphasized highly developed ensemble playing and technically brilliant solos. The Trio took the ensemble sound of the small jazz band to a new level of precision coupled with excitement that attracted a new audience to jazz.
The trio
In an era when big dance bands dominated popular music, The Goodman Trio, made ground-breaking hit records and created a popular sensation with their small ensemble.
Teddy Wilson:
Gene Krupa:
The genesis of the Goodman Trio was a jam session party at the suburban Queens, New York, home of vibraphonist Red Norvo and his wife, singer Mildred Bailey. It was the first opportunity that Goodman and pianist Teddy Wilson had an opportunity to play together. Goodman later explained, "That night, Teddy and I began to play as though we were thinking with the same brain. It was a real kick."
Lady be good (trio)
http://www.4shared.com/audio/FHrZCIdH/04_Oh_Lady_be_good.html
Alternating sets with Goodman’s big band on stage, the Trio allowed Benny more creative freedom than he had with his orchestra.
"Benny liked the trio's transparent, light musical texture. He envisioned the group as something more for listening than just for dancing."
Vibraphonist Lionel Hampton
and guitarist Charlie Christian :
later joined Goodman to form quartets and sextets, but Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson were the foundation of all the small ensembles. Working together as a team in the Goodman Trio for over ten years, Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson made over 100 recordings together
The Quartet Lady be good:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/ZFvqsZQU/14_Runnin_wild.html
All material has been checked and/or taken from the official and other sites, pictures obtained from internet.
Benny Goodman : Born: 30 May 1909
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Died: 13 June 1986
Best Known As: Clarinettist nicknamed "The King of Swing"
Benny Goodman :
He was 10 when he first picked up a clarinet, a year or so later he was doing Ted Lewis imitations. When Benny was 12, his father enrolled him and two of his older brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogueand and at 14 he was in a band that featured Bix Beiderbecke. By the time he was 16 he was recognized as a "comer" as far away as the west coast and was asked to join a California-based band led by another Chicago boy, Ben Pollack with whome he stayed for about 8-10 years.
at just 20 Benny struck out on his own to become a freelance musician in the big “A”
By 1934 after various gigs he was seasoned enough to be ready for his first big break. Billy Rose needed a band for his new theatre restaurant, the Music Hall, and Benny got together a group of musicians who shared his enthusiasm for jazz. They auditioned and got the job.
The band set out on a tour of America in May 1935, but was poorly received, by August 1935, Goodman found himself with a band that was nearly broke, disillusioned and ready to quit.
On January 16, 1938, Sol Hurok, the most prestigious impresario in America, booked the Benny Goodman band into Carnegie Hall. For generations Carnegie Hall had been the nation's greatest temple of musical art, home of the New York Philharmonic and scene of every important artist's debut (even if they had played in a hundred other concert halls first).
So this was a debut not only for Benny Goodman but for jazz aka (swing) Though many others followed him to Carnegie Hall, there has never been another concert with such an impact. It even made his "classical" Carnegie Hall debut more newsworthy a few years later when Benny returned there to launch his second career, as a soloist with major symphony orchestras and chamber groups.
The BG Orchestra :
Benny Goodman was indisputably the King of Swing - the title was invented by Gene Krupa - and he reigned as such thereafter until his death in 1986 at age 77. Over the years he played with the greatest figures in jazz: Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Mildred Bailey, Bessie Smith and countless others.
The Carnegie Hall concert
In late 1937, Goodman's publicist Wynn Nathanson attempted a publicity stunt by suggesting Goodman and his band should play Carnegie Hall in New York City. If this concert were to take place, then Benny Goodman would be the first Jazz band leader to perform in Carnegie hall. "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."
The concert was the evening of 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. The concert began with three contemporary numbers from the Goodman band—"Don't Be That Way," "Sometimes I'm Happy," and "One O'Clock Jump." They then played a history of jazz, starting with a Dixieland quartet performing "Sensation Rag." Once again, initial crowd reaction, though polite, was tepid. Then came a jam session on "Honeysuckle Rose" featuring members of the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands as guests. (The surprise of the session: Goodman handing a solo to Basie's guitarist Freddie Greene who was never a featured soloist but earned his reputation as the best rhythm guitarist in the genre—he responded with a striking round of chord improvisations.) As the concert went on, things livened up. The Goodman band and quartet took over the stage and performed the numbers that had already made them famous. Some later trio and quartet numbers were well-received, and a vocal on "Loch Lomond" by Martha Tilton 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.
By the time the band got to the climactic piece "Sing, Sing, Sing", success was assured. This performance featured playing by tenor saxophonist Babe Russin, trumpeterHarry James, and Benny Goodman, backed by drummer Gene Krupa. When Goodman finished his solo, he unexpectedly gave a solo 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," wrote David Rickert. "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."
This concert has been regarded as one of 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.
Sing Sing Sing
this is from the Hollywood Hotel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJ4dpNal_k
Shhhh “A very nasty rumer of the time”
Known by musicians for his stand-offish and “cheap” nature, many sidemen had a love/hate relationship with Goodman. Many musicians claimed that Benny was dishonest when it came time to pay off the band and many more recalled the Goodman “ray”, the dirtiest of looks received when a mistake was made.This could be stereo type casting???
THE TRIO
This section is the shortest but for me it is the best kind of Goodman.
In 1935, The Benny Goodman Trio [Benny Goodman clarinet, Gene Krupa drums, Teddy Wilson Piano] created a style of "chamber jazz" that emphasized highly developed ensemble playing and technically brilliant solos. The Trio took the ensemble sound of the small jazz band to a new level of precision coupled with excitement that attracted a new audience to jazz.
The trio
In an era when big dance bands dominated popular music, The Goodman Trio, made ground-breaking hit records and created a popular sensation with their small ensemble.
Teddy Wilson:
Gene Krupa:
The genesis of the Goodman Trio was a jam session party at the suburban Queens, New York, home of vibraphonist Red Norvo and his wife, singer Mildred Bailey. It was the first opportunity that Goodman and pianist Teddy Wilson had an opportunity to play together. Goodman later explained, "That night, Teddy and I began to play as though we were thinking with the same brain. It was a real kick."
Lady be good (trio)
http://www.4shared.com/audio/FHrZCIdH/04_Oh_Lady_be_good.html
Alternating sets with Goodman’s big band on stage, the Trio allowed Benny more creative freedom than he had with his orchestra.
"Benny liked the trio's transparent, light musical texture. He envisioned the group as something more for listening than just for dancing."
Vibraphonist Lionel Hampton
and guitarist Charlie Christian :
later joined Goodman to form quartets and sextets, but Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson were the foundation of all the small ensembles. Working together as a team in the Goodman Trio for over ten years, Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson made over 100 recordings together
The Quartet Lady be good:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/ZFvqsZQU/14_Runnin_wild.html
All material has been checked and/or taken from the official and other sites, pictures obtained from internet.
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