Benny Goodman

As much as I enjoy Big Band jazz (by Goodman, as well as other bandleaders) there is something incredibly special about Benny's small group recordings. Three or four musicians involved as equal particpants in a jazz coversation - and a swingin' conversation at that. Although bop was still a decade away - I think the bop pioneers of the mid-40's and their ensembles owed a debt to the Benny Goodman Quartet for laying out the blueprint for a group of musicians to mutually improvise, communicate with, and inspire each other.
These are wonderful jazz oriented trio & quartet sessions featuing Gene Krupa on drums, Lionol Hampton on vibes, and Teddy Wilson on piano. All improvised and wondeful!

Two CD set. The Complete 'Plays Benny Goodman And Artie Shaw' Sessions, Vol. Two. Second of two volumes from the Jazz clarinet player paying tribute to two influential Jazz greats. Both volumes combined feature five complete albums originally released by DeFranco: I Hear Benny Goodman & Artie Shaw, Buddy DeFranco Plays Benny Goodman, Buddy DeFranco Plays Artie Shaw, Wholly Cats and Closed Session.

After Benny Goodman disbanded the orchestra in 1947 he continued to organize groups for tours and recording sessions, and the virtuoso clarinetist, who had become the first jazz musician to gain critical acclaim in the classical world in 1935, performed with many symphony orchestras. In fact, by 1947 he’d broken up his big band, signed with a new label (Capitol) and announced his intention to pursue classical-music projects. Yet within months he’d find himself playing jazz in bop settings.Part Two of Benny Goodman's Classics in Jazz. Contains four of his easy, relaxed style recordings: Love is Just Around the Corner; I'll Never Be the Same; Cherokee; and Music, Maestro, Please.

This performance was recorded by Goodman himself during a July 1954 engagement at the Basin Street East jazz club, in New York. This particular sextet had been formed for a tour (which was later canceled) with Louis Armstrong's All Stars in the spring of 1953. Although all of the band members were superb musicians, the most interesting pairing here is that of Benny and trumpeter Charlie Shavers. A veteran of the Swing era, Shavers had extensive experience with both small groups (John Kirby) and big bands (Tommy Dorsey). This superb session brings us 19 tracks of great music by an otherwise unrecorded Benny Goodman sextet. (Fresh Sound Records)

On this all-around excellent CD, Benny Goodman performs a dozen selections (mostly Fletcher Henderson arrangements) with a big band filled with sympathetic players in 1954 and eight other numbers with a pair of smaller units that also feature pianist Mel Powell and either Charlie Shavers or Ruby Braff on trumpets. Although the big-band era had been gone for almost a decade, Benny Goodman (then 46) plays these swing classics with enthusiasm and creativity and shows that there was never any reason for anyone to write him off as "behind the times."

5 complete LPs presented on 2 companion volumes! Featuring Carl Perkins, Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel and Don Fagerquist! Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were among the most famous and beloved figures in swing music both as clarinet soloists and orchestra conductors. Th ey were still very active musically in 1957, when Buddy De Franco decided to record a series of sessions paying homage to them. Thirty-five performances were recorded (including four medleys containing three songs each) in four extended sessions made on four consecutive days and with two different groups (guitarist Barney Kessel, however, is present on most of the tracks). The first two sessions included trumpeter Don Fagerquist, tenor saxophonist Georgie Auld and pianist Carl Perkins. The second group includes trumpeter Ray Linn and another modern jazz pianist: Jimmy Rowles…

The 1937 Benny Goodman & His Orchestra are still considered one of the top big bands ever. With a trumpet section featuring Harry James, Ziggy Elman, and Chris Griffin; pianist Jess Stacy and drummer Gene Krupa in the rhythm section; the leader's clarinet; and his trio and quartet with Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, it is no wonder that Benny Goodman was so popular during this era. The main addition to the band during the second half of 1937 was singer Martha Tilton, who fit in quite well. Highlights of this often-stirring program include "Roll 'Em," the quartet on "Avalon" and "Handful of Keys," "Sugar Foot Stomp," and a swinging "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day."