Clarinettist. From his earliest years as a
childhood prodigy until well into his seventies, Benny Goodman was
the most technically accomplished clarinettist in jazz. His
immediately distinctive tone, with a slight rasping edge that gave
it an urgent jazzy quality, adorned not only hundreds of his own
recordings, but dozens more that he made during his busy early
years as a freelance.
He grew up in a large Jewish family in Chicago, and had his
earliest lessons in a synagogue band. After playing in several
amateur bands and studying with classical tutor Franz Schoepp,
Goodman joined the Musicians' Union at 14, and at 16 joined drummer
Ben Pollack's group.
He stayed with Pollack for some time, making records and
playing prestigious jobs, eventually moving with him to New York,
where he became a freelance. After five years of prolific activity,
he formed his own big band, first playing at Billy Rose's Music
Hall in New York, and then broadcasting weekly on the Let's Dance
show.
This gave him thousands of fans across the nation, and when he
toured to the West Coast in 1935, he received wild acclaim after
playing his swing arrangements by Fletcher Henderson at the Palomar
Ballroom, Los Angeles. This is generally regarded as the start of
the swing era, of which Goodman became the 'king'. In 1935 he also
formed his quartet with Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy
Wilson.
This group was the first racially mixed band to tour widely in
the United States, making Goodman an early ambassador of racial
equality in the entertainment industry. His popularity peaked
between 1936-9. Health problems led him to retire briefly in 1940,
but he re-formed his band several times thereafter - as a regular
unit in the 1940s, and subsequently as a series of specially
assembled groups for tours or concerts, such as his visits to
Russia, Latin America and Japan in the 1960s.
He made several films (playing himself on the soundtrack of The
Benny Goodman Story in which actor Steve Allen played Goodman) and
was also an accomplished classical clarinettist, commissioning new
pieces from Bartok, Hindemith and Copland.
Further Reading:
James Lincoln Collier: Benny Goodman and the Swing Era (New York,
Oxford University Press) 1989
Recommended CD:
The Birth of Swing (Bluebird ND 90601) 3CD set
Suggested track: Blue Skies
