Benny Goodman, the king of swing, was born 105 years ago today. Goodman was jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader. In the mid-1930s, he led one of the most popular musical groups in America. His January 16, 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City is described by critic Bruce Eder as the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazzs coming out party to the world of respectable music. Goodmans bands launched the careers of many major names in jazz, and during an era of segregation, he also led one of the first well-known racially integrated jazz groups. Goodman continued to perform to nearly the end of his life, while exploring an interest in classical music. Goodman was born in Chicago, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. When Benny was 10, his father enrolled him and two of his older brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. The next year he joined the boys club band at Jane Addams Hull House, where he received lessons from director James Sylvester. He also received two years of instruction from the classically trained clarinetist, Franz Schoepp. His early influences were New Orleans jazz clarinetists working in Chicago, notably Johnny Dodds, Leon Roppolo and Jimmy Noone. Goodman learned quickly, becoming a strong player at an early age: he was soon playing professionally in various bands. Goodman made his professional debut in 1921 at Central Park Theater in Chicago and entered Harrison High School in 1922. He joined the musicians’s union in 1923 and that summer he met Bix Beiderbecke. He attended Lewis Institute (now Illinois Institute of Technology) in 1924 as a high school sophomore, while also playing the clarinet in a dance hall band. At age 14, he was in a band that featured the legendary Beiderbecke. When Goodman was 16, he joined one of Chicagos top bands, the Ben Pollack Orchestra, with which he made his first recordings in 1926. Goodman was regarded by some as a demanding taskmaster; by others an arrogant and eccentric martinet. Many musicians spoke of The Ray, Goodmans trademark glare that he bestowed on a musician who failed to perform to his demanding standards. Guitarist Allan Reuss incurred the maestros displeasure on one occasion. Goodman relegated him to the rear of the bandstand, where his contribution would be totally drowned out by the other musicians. Vocalists Anita ODay and Helen Forrest spoke bitterly of their experiences singing with Goodman. The twenty or so months I spent with Benny felt like twenty years, said Forrest. When I look back, they seem like a life sentence. At the same time, there are reports that he privately funded several college educations and was sometimes very generous, though always secretly. When a friend once asked him why, he reportedly said, Well, if they knew about it, everyone would come to me with their hand out. Goodman is also responsible for a significant step in racial integration in America. In the early 1930s, black and white jazz musicians could not play together in most clubs or concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke with tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him and drummer Gene Krupa in the Benny Goodman Trio. In 1936, he added Lionel Hampton on vibes to form the Benny Goodman Quartet; in 1939 he added pioneering jazz guitarist Charlie Christian to his band and small ensembles, who played with him until his death from tuberculosis less than three years later. This integration in music happened ten years before Jackie Robinson became the first black American to enter Major League Baseball. Goodmans popularity was such that he could remain financially viable without touring the South, where he would have been subject to arrest for violating Jim Crow laws. Despite increasing health problems, Goodman continued to play until his death from a heart attack in New York City in 1986 at the age of 77, in his home at Manhattan House, 200 East 66th Street. Here, Goodman and his orchestra (featuring Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on Trumpet) perform “Sing, Sing, Sing” from the film, Hollywood Hotel, in 1937.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 04:53:07 +0000
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