Benny James 01 Birdsongs

The future "King of Swing", Benjamin David Goodman, was born on the 30th May, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Jewish immigrants and grew up with 11 brothers and sisters. Benny Goodman learned to play the clarinet in a synagogue and took his first steps as a musician on the pleasure boats on the nearby Lake Michigan.
He worked for several years from the middle of the Twenties with Ben Pollack, but also played with several other bands. Goodman met the well-known music producer John Hammond in 1933, and was persuaded by Hammond to form his first big-band…

Pioneering the use of stereo recording in the field, Alan Lomax made his “Southern Journey” in 1959–60, returning to the rural South (after 10 years abroad) and rediscovering its still-vital traditions. He traveled from the Appalachians to the Georgia Sea Islands, from the Ozarks to the Mississippi Delta, recording blues, ballads, breakdowns, hymns, shouts, chanteys, and work songs.

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic play an eclectic blend of rock, avant-garde noise, punk, classical, minimalist and free-form music with hypnotic electronic sequences. They began in the early 80's as a side project by pianist/percussionist Roger Miller and guitarist Martin Swope from Boston's Mission Of Burma. After many changes, the line-up eventually settled down to Erik Lindgren (piano and organ), Ken Field (saxes, flutes and percussion), Rick Scott (synths, piano and percussion) and Michael Bierylo (guitar, programming and sound design)…

Benny Goodman was the first celebrated bandleader of the Swing Era, dubbed "The King of Swing," his popular emergence marking the beginning of the era. He was an accomplished clarinetist whose distinctive playing gave an identity both to his big band and to the smaller units he led simultaneously. The most popular figure of the first few years of the Swing Era, he continued to perform until his death 50 years later.

Great 100 CD box containing a plethora of sweet Swing Time classics. The music of a decade between the Depression and World War II gave hope and entertainment to the people. Swing records, ballrooms and touring bands made Swing one of the most rousing styles of Jazz. Doc. 2008.