10 Favorite Benny Goodman Tracks
In 1938, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America. The concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City that year is described by critic Bruce Eder as “the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz’s ‘coming out’ party to the world of ‘respectable’ music”. It crowned Benny Goodman as the ‘King of Swing,’ and solidified his position in the annuls of history as one of the most important and influential musicians in history.
It is a recording from that concert, Swingtime In The Rockies, that is at the top of my 10 favorite Benny Goodman tracks of all time. But after the top spot, it gets pretty difficult to narrow down my next 9 favorite Benny Goodman tracks. So with a note of apprehention, I list out my 10 favorite songs from the King of Swing.
- Swingtime In The Rockies – Live at Carnegie Hall 1938
- St. Louis Blues – On The Air 37-38
- Bugle Call Rag – Chronological Classics 1936 Vol. 2
- Caprice Paganini XXIV – Chronological Classics 1941 Vol. 3
- Moonglow – Chronological Classics 1936 Vol. 2
- House Hop – Live at the Madhattan Room 1937
- All The Cats Join In – All The Cats Join In
- Roll ‘Em – On The Air 37-38
- Sweet Georgia Brown – The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings
- Mazel – Benny Goodman ’45 & ’47
What are some of your favorite Benny Goodman tracks?
My favorite Goodman tune would be “Sweet Sue” recorded by the Goodman Sextet.
Close second would be “Behave Yourself” also by the Sextet, and featuring Goodman singing lead vocals.
Favorite?? Well, that depends: for listening, or for dancing? I find myself wanting Goodman more for dancing than listening, unless Peggy Lee is singing (so says a Lindyhopper, anyway). That said, he has some dynamite dance tunes. The version you mention of All The Cats Join In from the album of the same name is very good; yeah, I’d dance to it, I like the solos, and it’s great if you need a short track to squeak into a set, but the version from the Carnegie Hall concert just has more spark and is more fun, even at 4-plus minutes. That’s my absolute favorite Goodman track to date (hey, I can change my mind, yes?). Then there’s Big John’s Special, but not the one from Carnegie Hall — I like the one on B.G. In Hi Fi much better. Again, there’s that spark that makes me want to *move.* As for Moonglow, if it’s the same version they used on The Fabulous Baker Boys soundtrack (and I think it is), I have to agree.
I’m puzzled by your preference for Swingtime In The Rockies from that Carnegie Hall concert: that must be for listening only, ’cause it’s at breakneck speed — way too fast, even for most Balboa dancers, and you certainly can’t Lindy to it. Which takes a lot of the fun out of it. Go figure.
I also like Goodman’s take on Makin’ Whoopee from (one of) the Carnegie Hall concert album(s), although that track may actually be an addition from another session — but it’s not on the album you’ve linked to. Frankly, I’ve nearly given up trying to figure out which Carnegie Hall concert CD is the definitive one, and there are at least four that I’ve found on Amazon alone; the only one that has Makin’ Whoopee is this 3-CD set, which seems to have been released later and with better sound quality than the one you referenced, plus it (thankfully) skips all the intros and pauses between numbers:
Benny Goodman: 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Plus 1944-47 Small Group And Big Band Masterpieces
http://www.amazon.com/Benny-Goodman-Carnegie-Concert-Masterpieces/dp/B000QZVP7Q
At under $22 from Amazon, it’s cost effective, too. Would I prefer a pristine copy of the concert on vinyl from Columbia? Hell, yes! But I don’t have it. The 2005 3-CD rerelease will have to do.
Swingtime is not too fast for Balboa, even Lindy Hop, it doesn’t even get over 300bpm
. ABW has competition music that reaches 336bpm, and everyone rocks it!
Makin’ Whoopie is also a favorite of mine, I like the one from “50 tracks in One Day”. Real nice.