BENNY GOODMAN
Swing Favourites, Vo
12: 1936 - 1939
The Swing Era, it is
claimed, was sparked off when the Goodman band was voted Number One in the 1936
Down Beat magazine readers’ poll. However, Swing bands both good and
indifferent predated this advent and although Goodman’s was nominally hailed
the archetypal swing outfit, many fans were initially unaware of the role of
“the written arrangement” in the latest breakthough. For while Goodman knew
that jazz per se was a non-seller, he had realised that to be commercial
swing arrangements needed to incorporate the best elements of jazz. Smoothly
honed, planned and sophisticated, they nonetheless had to sound improvisational.
In this context
Goodman was fortunate to enlist the top arrangers of the day. These included
Jimmy Mundy (1907-1983) and most notably Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952), the
black pianist-bandleader from Georgia whose arrangements provided the first
boost to Goodman’s popularity when he (Henderson) was forced through economic
necessity to sell them to him and later endorsed Swing more fully after he
became Goodman’s full-time staff arranger. Taken under the wing of
music-publisher Irving Mills the Goodman outfit, the much-vaunted stars of
Nabisco’s commercial radio Let’s Dance programme had cut, in
anticipation of their first broadcasts, a few “swing” titles for Columbia which
(in the admissible opinion of Benny’s brother-in-law, the Columbia A & R
man John Hammond) “did not swing.” By Christmas 1934, however, the combination
of Henderson and the rock-solid rhythmic pulse of Gene Krupa on Saturday night
radio had converted the youth of America to the new phenomenon.
From early 1935,
Goodman’s band recorded various numbers which charted with varying degrees of
success, most notably “Blue Moon” which, with its Helen Ward vocal, clocked at
No.2. The bulk of their material, however, comprised Mills publications for
which Goodman received only a flat fee without royalties, an unsatisfactory
arrangement which led the ambitious and disgruntled bandleader to negotiate a
better deal -with RCA victor, who, by a happy coincidence, owned the NBC
network which promoted Let’s Dance. He also had an ally in RCA chief
executive Ted Wallerstein, who succeeded in securing his ongoing royalty
payments.
When, in May 1935,
Nabisco declined to renew his Let’s Dance contract, Goodman accepted,
through MCA, an engagement at New York’s Roosevelt Grill. The Grill’s
clientele, however, accustomed to the sweeter tones of Guy Lombardo, rebelled
against the “unnerving” Goodman swing, a reaction which soon prompted Goodman
(in June, 1935) to take his men on a nationwide MCA-sponsored tour and which in
turn led inevitably to their historic first engagement at the Los Angeles
Palomar, on 31st August, 1935, a development long regarded as the true birth of
the Swing Era.
Following the Down
Beat poll, by late 1936 Goodman had various US popular chart hits to his
credit (see Swing Favourites, Volume 1, 1935-1936, Naxos 8.120548) a catalogue
further extended by “Star Dust” (a best-selling US No.2 instrumental
revival of the 1929 Hoagy Carmichael–Mitchell Parish standard, this was coupled
with Tommy Dorsey’s US No.8 version of the same number) and “Bugle Call Rag”
(US No.13 – a new arrangement by Henderson of the 1934 Goodman hit which, with
Claude Thornhill at the piano, had charted at No.5). 1937 brought “Goodnight,
My Love” and “This Year’s Kisses” (both No.1s), while “Smoke Dreams”, “Stompin’
At The Savoy”, “Afraid To Dream” and “Peckin” also won places in the Top Ten,
in addition to some significant “jazz” hits, such as Mary Lou Williams’ “Camel
Hop”, a fine Henderson arrangement of Earl Hines’ “Rosetta” and a
revival of Jimmy McHugh’s “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”. The band’s 1938
favourites included Charlie Shavers’ “Undecided”, a Henderson revival of
“Whispering” (by then already a standard since it had provided Paul
Whiteman’s first million-selling disc in 1921) and a revival of the 1925 Ted
Fiorito song “I Never Knew” (That Roses Grew), while its charted hits (26 Top
Thirty entries, out of which 16 made the Top Ten) included “I Let A Song Go Out
Of My Heart” and Edgar Sampson’s “Don’t Be That Way” both at No.1,
“Sing, Sing, Sing” at No.7, “One O’Clock Jump” at No.8 and “Lullaby In
Rhythm” at No. 14.
Whereas during 1939
fewer Goodman swing favourites actually swung their way into the popular charts
(eight titles in the US Top Thirty, six in the Top Ten, including the No.1 “And
The Angels Sing”) a significant commercialising trend towards featured
vocalists is manifested by the sterling contributions of Martha Tilton in
Burton Lane and Frank Loesser’s catchy “The Lady’s In Love With You” (from the
1939 Paramount comedy Some Like It Hot) and Johnny Mercer, in his own
rather cheeky compositions “Show Your Linen, Miss Richardson” and “Cuckoo In
The Clock”.
Peter Dempsey, 2002
Personnel
Chicago, 23rd
April, 1936:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Nate Kazebier, Harry Geller, Pee Wee Erwin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Joe Harris, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, Bill De Pew, alto sax; Arthur Rollini,
Dick Clark, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Allen Reuss, guitar; Harry Goodman,
string bass; Gene Krupa, drums
New York, 5th
November,1936:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Zeke Zarchy, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Murray McEachern, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, Bill De Pew, alto sax; Arthur
Rollini, Vido Musso, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Allen Reuss, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Gene Krupa, drums
New York, 14th
January,1937:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Murray McEachern, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, Dick De Pew, alto sax; Arthur
Rollini, Vido Musso, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, pano; Allen Reuss, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Gene Krupa, drums
Hollywood, 6th
September & New York,12th November,1937:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trombones; Red Ballard,
Murray McEachern, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, George Koenig, alto sax; Arthur
Rollini, Vido Musso, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Allen Reuss, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Gene Krupa, drums
New York, 16th
February,1938:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, George Koenig, alto sax; Arthur
Rollini, Babe Russin, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Allen Reuss, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Gene Krupa, drums
New York, 8th
April,1938:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Dave Matthews, Milt Yaner, alto sax; Bud Freeman,
Arthur Rollini, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Dave Tough, drums
New York, 28th
May,1938:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Dave Matthews, Noni Bernardi, alto sax; Bud Freeman,
Arthur Rollini, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Dave Tough, drums
New York, 23rd
November,1938:
Benny Goodman, clarinet;
Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard, Vernon Brown,
trombones; Dave Matthews, Noni Bernardi, alto sax; Bud Freeman, Arthur Rollini,
tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry Goodman, string bass;
Buddy Schutz, drums
New York, 15th
December,1938:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Dave Matthews, Noni Bernardi alto sax; Jerry Jerome,
Arthur Rollini, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Buddy Schutz, drums
New York, 1st
February,1939:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Irving Goodman, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Dave Matthews, Noni Bernardi, alto sax; Jerry Jerome,
Arthur Rollini, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Buddy Schutz, drums
New York, 7th
April,1939:
Benny Goodman,
clarinet; Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, Irving Goodman, trumpets; Red Ballard,
Vernon Brown, trombones; Hymie Schertzer, Noni Bernardi, alto sax; Jerry
Jerome, Arthur Rollini, tenor sax; Jess Stacy, piano; Ben Heller, guitar; Harry
Goodman, string bass; Buddy Schutz, drums
1. JAM SESSION (Jimmy
Mundy)
(RCA Victor BS 02461)
Recorded 5th November, 1936, New York 2:57
2. BUGLE CALL RAG
(Jack Pettis–Irving Mills–Billy Meyers–Elmer Schoebel, arr. Fletcher Henderson)
(RCA Victor BS 02460)
Recorded 5th November, 1936, New York 3:03
3. UNDECIDED (Charlie
Shavers)
(RCA Victor BS
030704) Recorded 15th December, 1938, New York 3:02
4. STAR DUST (Hoagy
Carmichael–Mitchell Parish, arr. Fletcher Henderson)
(RCA Victor BS
100379-2) Recorded 23rd April, 1936, Chicago 2:55
5. WHISPERING (John
& Malvin Schonberger, arr. Fletcher Henderson)
(RCA Victor BS
030701) Recorded 15th December, 1938, New York 2:48
6. I CAN’T GIVE YOU
ANYTHING BUT LOVE, BABY (Jimmy McHugh–Dorothy Fields)
with Martha Tilton,
vocal
(RCA Victor PBS
09690-2) Recorded 6th September, 1937, Hollywood 3:40
7. SUGARFOOT STOMP
(Louis Armstrong–King Oliver, arr. Fletcher Henderson)
(RCA Victor PBS
09689) Recorded 6th September, 1937, Hollywood 2:50
8. CHLOE (Neil
Moret–Gus Kahn)
(RCA Victor BS 04237)
Recorded 14th January, 1937, New York 3:16
9. CAMEL HOP (Mary
Lou Williams)
(RCA Victor 017042)
Recorded 12th November, 1937, New York 2:52
10. THE LADY’S IN
LOVE WITH YOU (Burton Lane–Frank Loesser)
with Martha Tilton,
vocal
(RCA Victor 035714-2)
Recorded 7th April, 1939, New York 3:06
11. LULLABY IN RHYTHM
(Hirsch–Profit, arr. Edgar Sampson)
(RCA Victor 022415)
Recorded 8th April, 1938, New York 3:35
12. SWEET SUE, JUST
YOU (Victor Young–Will J. Harris)
(RCA Victor 022419)
Recorded 8th April, 1938, New York 3:30
13. I NEVER KNEW (Ted
Fiorito–Gus Kahn)
(RCA Victor 022416)
Recorded 8th April, 1938, New York 2:25
14. ROSETTA (Harry
Woods–Earl Hines, arr. Fletcher Henderson)
(RCA Victor 04238)
Recorded 14th January, 1937, New York 2:45
15. SHOW YOUR LINEN,
MISS RICHARDSON (Johnny Mercer–Bernie Hanighen)
with Johnny Mercer,
vocal
(RCA Victor 035713)
Recorded 7th April, 1939, New York 3:00
16. ONE O’CLOCK JUMP
(Count Basie, arr. Basie)
(RCA Victor 019832)
Recorded 16th February, 1938, New York 3:18
17. DON’T BE THAT WAY
(Benny Goodman–Edgar Sampson–Mitchell Parish, arr. Sampson)
(RCA Victor 019831)
Recorded 16th February, 1938, New York 3:22
18. WRAPPIN’ IT UP
(Fletcher Henderson, arr. Henderson)
(RCA Victor 023510)
Recorded 28th May, 1938, New York 3:06
19. CUCKOO IN THE
CLOCK (Johnny Mercer–Walter Donaldson)
with Johnny Mercer,
vocal
(RCA Victor 031874)
Recorded 1st February, 1939, New York 3:01
20. FAREWELL BLUES
(Elmer Schoebel–Paul Mares–Leon Roppolo)
(RCA Victor 030308)
Recorded 23rd November, 1938, New York 2:21