Where Swing is King!
“Good-Bye” Composed and arranged by Gordon Jenkins. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor in Hollywood on September 27, 1935. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Bunny Berigan, first and solo trumpet; Ralph Muzzillo and [..]
“Lester’s Dream” Composed by Count Basie and Lester Young; informal head arrangement by Benny Goodman and Count Basie. Recorded by Benny Goodman for Columbia on October 28, 1940 in New York.(*) Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: [..]
“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” Composed by: Richard Rodgers, music, and Lorenz Hart, lyric; arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on September 13, 1939 in New [..]
“Ridin’ High” Composed by Cole Porter; arranged by Jimmy Mundy. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra live in performance from a CBS radio broadcast on March 4, 1937 from the Madhattan Room of Hotel [..]
“Jingle Bells” Composed by J.S. Pierpont; arranged by Lyle “Spud” Murphy. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor on July 1, 1935 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Bunny Berigan, first and [..]
“I’m a Ding Dong Daddy (from Dumas)” Composed by Phil Baxter; head arrangement by the Benny Goodman Quartet. Recorded live from a CBS Camel Caravan radio show from the stage of the Palace Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on [..]
“Oh, Lady Be Good”(*) Composed by George Gershwin; probably arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded live in performance by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra from a Mutual radio broadcast on March 11, 1937 from the Madhattan [..]
“Down South Camp Meeting” Composed and arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra for Decca on September 11, 1934. Fletcher Henderson directing: Russell “Pops” Smith, first trumpet; Irving “Mouse” Randolph and [..]
“Why Don’t You Do Right?” Music and lyric by Joe McCoy; arranged by Mel Powell. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on July 27, 1942 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: [..]
“One Sweet Letter from You” Composed by Harry Warren (music), Sidney Clare and Lew Brown (lyric); arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on September 13, 1939 in New [..]
“Sometimes I’m Happy” Composed by Vincent Youmans; arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor in New York on July 1, 1935. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Bunny Berigan, first and [..]
“And the Angels Sing” Composed by Ziggy Elman (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyric); arranged by Abe Osser. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor on February 1, 1939 in New York. Benny Goodman, [..]
“Basin Street Blues” Composed by Spencer Williams; arranged by Glenn Miller. Recorded by Benny Goodman (as “The Charleston Chasers” under direction of Bennie Goodman) for Columbia on February 9, 1931 in New York. Benny Goodman, [..]
“The Earl” Composed and arranged by Mel Powell. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia-Okeh on September 25, 1941 in New York. Benjamin D. “Benny” Goodman, clarinet, directing: Billy Butterfield, first trumpet; Cootie [..]
“Jersey Bounce” Composed by Tiny Bradshaw, Eddie Johnson and Bobby Plater; arranged by Mel Powell. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on January 15,1942 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: James [..]
“When the Sun Comes Out” Composed by Harold Arlen (music) Ted Koehler (lyric); arranged by Eddie Sauter. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on June 4, 1941 in New York. Benny Goodman, [..]
Tales from the Kingdom of Swing -Tale Number Two: “Hey Eugene, take the gum out of your mouth!” The story: The swing era was not only a time when wonderful music was being made, it [..]
“Breakfast Feud” Composed by Benny Goodman; head arrangement worked out by Benny Goodman and the members of his Sextet. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Sextet(*) for Columbia on January 15, 1941(**) in New [..]
“Big John Special” Composed and arranged by Horace Henderson. Recorded on November 16,1937 by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra from a CBS Camel Caravan broadcast. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Harry James, first trumpet; Ziggy Elman [..]
“Flat Foot Floogie” Composed by Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart and Bud Green; probably arranged by Edgar Sampson. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor on May 31, 1938 in New York. Benny Goodman, [..]
Johnny Mercer…Poet of American Popular Song The story: I have found over time that my reading is very often directed by the music I have listened to recently. Last month, I rediscovered (for the umteenth [..]
“Undecided” Composed by Charlie Shavers; arranged by Eddie Sauter. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor on December 15, 1938 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Harry James, first trumpet; Ziggy Elman [..]
The story: Back in early 2016, I was about to launch this blog. Over several decades I had accumulated a lot of recorded music, books, images and articles about the musicians who made the music, [..]
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” Composed by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyric); arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded on July 1, 1935 by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Victor in [..]
“Rattle and Roll” Composed and arranged by Wilbur “Buck” Clayton. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra for Columbia on December 19, 1945 in New York. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Conrad Gozzo, first trumpet; John [..]
“I Got Rhythm” Composed by George Gershwin; arranged by Fletcher Henderson. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra live from the NBC “Let’s Dance” radio show of May 4, 1935. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: George [..]
“Sing, Sing, Sing” Composed by Louis Prima; initial vocal arrangement by Jimmy Mundy. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra on July 6, 1937 for Victor in Hollywood, CA. Benny Goodman, clarinet, directing: Harry [..]
The Ripening of “Cherry” “Cherry” Composed by Don Redman; arranged by Jimmy Mundy. Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra from a CBS radio sustaining broadcast October 27,1937, Madhattan Room, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City. Benny [..]
