The Swinging Sound Of Benny Goodman
You see it again and again in music - a new generation rushes the dance floor, pushes their parents to the wall, and suddenly it's their turn. There's a new sound. The sound of rebellion. It's also the story of swing, and it's king, Benny Goodman.
Benny Goodman. The name alone evokes a completely different era in popular music and jazz. His remarkably fluid concept on the clarinet took jazz improvisation a step in a new direction from that of his influences, Jimmie Noone and Leon Roppolo. You could hear it as far back as the late 20s and early 30s when BG was an apprentice with the bands of Ben Pollack and Ted Lewis as well as the countless studio sessions he did for a variety of band leaders. Try to describe the Goodman sound? Easy: Pure Swing.
The big band he organized for the “Let's Dance" radio program over NBC in New York eventually matured into the locomotive that barreled through the country to its famed and often told moment of discovery and success at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The band delivered to the youth of America a new voice that was hot, cool, progressive and inventive.
In that spirit, Mosaic Records is proud to present the Classic Columbia and OKeh Benny Goodman Orchestra Sessions (1939-1958) - a treasure trove of seven CDs, spanning nearly 20 years of Goodman's musical life, from the late 1930s when his popularity was already well established, throughout the 1950s when Benny would assemble the cream of the mainstream jazz world to be, even if it were just for one session, the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The set features more than 24 tracks that are being released for the first time.
Spotlight On Instrumentals
These recordings represent the second stage of Goodman's career. With the disarming of the early band of which Harry James, Gene Krupa and Jess Stacy were such an intregal part, coupled with the loss of the Goodman Trio and Quartet with Krupa, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, this marked the end of an era. Leaving the Victor label, Benny joins Columbia and presents some new and old faces: Lionel Hampton, Ziggy Elman, Charlie Christian, Arthur Bernstein, Lou McGarrity, Stan Getz, Jimmy Maxwell and what was once big news - Benny luring Cootie Williams away from the Ellington band.
However, possibly the greatest change in the band was in the arranging department. The man whose charts were a springboard to the early success of the BG band, Fletcher Henderson, is still churning out great arrangements. Yet it was the work of both Eddie Sauter and Mel Powell whose young, fertile ideas were a challenge to both Benny and the band and made for some of the Swing Era's most durable sounds
We've decided to focus on this set of Goodmania, the instrumental big band sides for Columbia and OKeh. There are a few vocals but these are the instrumentals that although eclipsed commercially by Benny's contemporaries - Harry James, Glenn Miller, the Dorseys and Artie Shaw - they are nonetheless Olympian examples of big band swing.
TRACKS:
DISC I
01. Jumpin’ At The Woodside (A)
02. Stealin’ Apples (B)
03. Boy Meets Horn (B)
04. Bolero (B)
05. Spring Song (C)
06. Night And Day (C)
07. Down By The Old Mill Stream (D)
08. Mozart Matriculates (E)
09. Let’s Dance (F)
10. Beyond The Moon (G)
11. Honeysuckle Rose (G)
12. Opus Local 802 (H)
13. Board Meeting (H)
14. Zaggin’ With Zig (H)
15. Can’t You Tell (I)
16. Squeeze Me (tk.-B) (I)
17. Cocoanut Grove (J)
18. Jumpin’ At The Woodside (alt tk.-B) (A)
19. Stealin’ Apples (alt tk.-B) (B)
20. Stealin’ Apples (alt tk.-D) (C)
21. Night And Day (alt tk.-B) (C)
22. Down By The Old Mill Stream (alt tk.-3) (D)
23. Down By The Old Mill Stream (alt tk.-2) (D)
24. Opus Local 802 (alt tk.-B) (H)
25. Squeeze Me (tk.-A) (I)
26. Cocoanut Grove (alt tk.-1) (J)
DISC II
01. The Hour Of Parting (K)
02. Crazy Rhythm (K) r)
03. Who Cares (So Long As You Care For Me) (L)
04. Just Like Taking Candy From A Baby (L)
05. Nostalgia (M)
06. Henderson Stomp (N)
07. Benny Rides Again (N)
08. Frenesi (O)
09. Superman (P)
10. Moonlight On The Ganges (-1) (P)
11. Somebody Stole My Gal (Q)
12. Let The Door Knob Hitcha (R)
13. The Hour Of Parting (alt tk.-1) (K)
14. Crazy Rhythm (alt tk.-3) (K)
15. Who Cares (So Long As You Care For Me) (alt tk.-5) (L)
16. Just Like Taking Candy From A Baby (alt tk.-1) (L)
17. Benny Rides Again (alt tk.-3) (N)
18. Superman (alt tk.-2) (P)
19. Superman (alt tk.-3) (P)
20. Moonlight On The Ganges (-3) (P)
21. Moonlight On The Ganges (-2) (P)
22. Somebody Stole My Gal (alt tk.-3) (Q)
23. Let The Door Knob Hitcha (alt tk.-2) (R)
24. Let The Door Knob Hitcha (alt tk.-3) (R)
DISC III
01. I’m Not Complainin’ (S))
02. Time On My Hands (S)
03. Scarecrow (T) )
04. Take It (U
05. Solo Flight (U)
06. Intermezzo (V)
07. Fiesta In Blue (V)
08. Cherry (V)
09. Something New (Negra Soy) (W)
10. Air Mail Special (W)
11. Don’t Be That Way (W)
12. Tuesday At Ten (X)
13. La Rosita (X)
14. I’m Not Complainin’ (S)
15. I’m Not Complainin’ (S)
16. Scarecrow (alt tk.-4) (T)
17. Scarecrow (alt tk.-3) (T)
18. Scarecrow (alt tk.-2) (T)
19. Take It (alt tk.-3) (U)
20. Take It (alt tk.-2) (U
21. Solo Flight (alt tk.-2) (U)
22. Fiesta In Blue (alt tk.-2) (V)
23. Cherry (alt tk.-3) (V)
24. Cherry (alt tk.-2) (V)
25. Something New (Negra Soy) (alt tk.-2) (W)
26. Tuesday At Ten (alt tk.-1) (X)
DISC IV
01. The Count (Y)
02. Pound Ridge (Y)
03. The Birth Of The Blues (AA)
04. The Earl (BB)
05. Caprice XXIV Paganini (CC)
06. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 31393-2) (CC)
07. I’m Here (CC)
08. Roll ‘Em (Pt.1) (DD)
09. Roll ‘Em (Pt.2) (DD)
10. I’ll Get By (EE)
11. The Count (alt tk.-3) (Y)
12. The Count (alt tk.-2) (Y)
13. Pound Ridge (alt tk.-4) (Y)
14. Pound Ridge (alt tk.-3) (Y)
15. Pound Ridge (alt tk.-1) (Y)
16. The Birth Of The Blues (alt tk.-1) (Z)
17. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-4) (AA)
18. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-3) (AA)
19. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-2) (AA)
20. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 3980-1) (AA)
21. The Earl (alt tk.-?) (BB)
22. The Earl (alt tk.-1) (BB)
23. I’m Here (alt tk.-2) (CC)
24. Clarinet A La King (mtx. 31393-4) (EE)
DISC V
01. At The Darktown Strutters Ball (FF)
02. Jersey Bounce (GG)
03. A String Of Pearls (HH)
04. Ramona (HH))
05. Before (Rachmaninoff Special) (II)
06. Peter And The Wolf (II)
07. Six Flats Unfurnished (JJ)
08. After You’ve Gone (JJ)
09. Mission To Moscow (KK)
10. Love Walked In (LL)
11. Clarinade (NN)
12. Jersey Bounce (V-Disc tk.) (FF)
13. At The Darktown Strutters Ball (alt tk.-4) (FF)
14. At The Darktown Strutters Ball (alt tk.-3) (FF
15. At The Darktown Strutters Ball (alt tk.-2) (FF)
16. Jersey Bounce (alt tk.-4) (GG)
17. Jersey Bounce (alt tk.-3) (GG)
18. A String Of Pearls (alt tk.-3) (HH)
19. A String Of Pearls (alt tk.-2) (HH)
20. Ramona (alt tk.-3) (HH)
21. Ramona (alt tk.-2) (HH)
22. Ramona (BD) (HH)
23. After You’ve Gone (alt tk -3) (JJ)
24. After You’ve Gone (alt tk -2) (JJ)
25. Mission To Moscow (alt tk -3) (KK)
26. Mission To Moscow (alt tk -2)
27. Love Walked In (alt tk.-1) (LL)
DISC VI
01. Gotta Be This Or That (Pt.1) and (Pt. 2) (MM)
02. Just You, Just Me (OO)
03. Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home (OO)
04. Somebody Stole My Gal (PP)
05. Lucky (alt tk.-1) (QQ)
06. Fascinating Rhythm (RR)
07. Lucky (master -4) (SS))
08. Rattle And Roll (SS)
09. Swing Angel (TT)
10. Oh, Baby ! (Pt.1) (UU)
11. Oh, Baby ! (Pt.2) (UU)
12. Fly By Night (WW)
13. Put That Kiss Back Where You Found It (XX)
14. Benjie’s Bubble (YY)
15. Gotta Be This Or That (Pt.1) (alt tk.-2) (MM)
16. Gotta Be This Or That (Pt.2) (alt tk.-1) (MM)
17. Lucky (alt tk.-2) (QQ)
18. Lucky (alt tk.-3) (SS)
19. Rattle And Roll (alt tk.-2) (SS)
20. Rattle And Roll (alt tk.-3) (SS
21. Swing Angel (alt tk.-3) (TT)
22. Swing Angel (alt tk.-2) (TT)
23. Fly By Night (alt tk.-3) (VV)
DISC VII
01. Down South Camp Meetin’ (AAA)
02. Mean To Me (AAA)
03. South Of The Border (AAA)
04. Muskat Ramble (AAA)
05. Lulu’s Back In Town (BBB)
06. Star Dust (BBB)
07. Wrappin’ It Up (BBB)
08. King Porter Stomp (BBB)
09. When Buddha Smiles (CCC)
10. Sunrise Serenade (CCC)
11. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (FFF)
12. My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms (FFF)
13. Wolverine Blues (GGG)
14. Back In Your Own Backyard (HHH)
15. Swing Into Spring (HHH)
16. Swanee River (HHH)
17. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (alt tk.-9) (FFF)
18. Hora Staccato (ZZ)
19. Poor Butterfly (ZZ)
20. Moonglow (DDD)
21. Georgia On My Mind (DDD)
22. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (DDD)
23. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
24. Goodbye (EEE)
25. Embraceable You (EEE)
26. Lover, Come Back To Me (EEE)
27. If I Had You (EEE)
