Was Benny Goodman A Doppelganger? - Page 2

As with any famous person, you'll always find detractors. Benny was thought by some to be a tyrannical perfectionist, but I doubt that careless, lenient bandleaders would have been as successful. He was also rumored to be so tight he squeaked, and in fact he was frugal — but remember his beginnings as the son of poor Russian Jewish immigrants. On the other hand, here's a little known fact — he quietly funded many worthy causes.

And finally, one more negative to report — he's devalued by some jazz purists who acknowledge his talent but feel that he wasn't enough of an innovator, and that his big band was too commercial. To which I say, kiss my royal patooty — I happen to like the sound of his big band.

However, I'm posting a couple of tunes from one of his smaller groups, the Benny Goodman Sextet, which thrived for a number of years featuring Benny with various sidemen on piano, vibes, drums, bass and guitar. These two songs are from the Columbia Jazz Masterpieces series album titled Slipped Disc: 1945-1946. First is "After You've Gone", where Benny is joined by Red Norvo on vibes and Teddy Wilson on piano. That's followed by a classic: "Ain't Misbehavin", with the same group except Mel Powell on piano. Both songs illustrate Benny's talent and are a great listen.

If you want to know more about Benny, here's the Wiki link, because doing a biography is not my purpose here. Rather I'd just like to salute his long and magical career as the King Of Swing - over 60 years - and as my virtual twin.

Article Author: Big Geez

The Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- sometimes doing conventional reviews, but often just sharing his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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