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Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman was a jazz clarinetist who became famous during America's big band era. While his songs have subsequently become standards in swing music, Benny Goodman's cultural influence may be more important historically than his music, as he popularized the first racially integrated band in America. Please post all questions regarding the "King of Swing" into this category.
59 Questions
Did Benny Goodman have a signature tune?
Many famous musicians performed with the Goodman band. In 1938 alone the orchestra featured, among others:
Harry James
Gene Krupa
Teddy Wilson
Lionel Hampton
Ziggy Elman
all of whom went on to lead their own orchestras.
Others included guitarist Charlie Christian, singers Martha Tilton and "the 2 Helens" (Ward and Forrest) and pianist Mel Powell.
Did Benny Goodman give his clarinet to Lester Young?
I do not know about Lester Young. However I saw "Benny Goodman's b-flat clarinet" in the music instrument hall of the Metropolitan museum in NY City about 10 years ago. One would imagine it's still there in its glass case, looking really superb just like its owner used to play.
What are some of the names of the pieces that benny goodman wrote?
His most famous today is "Sing, Sing, Sing," but he is also know for writing "Let's Dance," and "Flying Home," among others.
Where did benny goodman play in moscow?
Benny Goodman played with his band in Moscow (1962) at the CSKA Sport Palace. CSKA stands for Central Sports Club of the Soviet Army. At the height of spy scandal (American U2 spy plane was just shot off the Russian sky) the KGB (Commitee for the State Security) was suspicious of "capitalist provocations," so only a handful of tickets went into Moscow's jazz fans' hands; several thousand tickets were distributed among "ideologically tested" blue-collar Communists through the Party committees at Moscow's industrial facilities. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was present at the concert, but soon got bored by the alien music that he hated, and left during the intermission.
The U2 spy plane incident was in 1960, not 1962. Also, doubt Khrushchev left at intermission because he sat in the VIP box with the American Ambassador and his wife and then went on to a reception at the Ambassador's residence following the concert where he had a lively conversation with Mr. Goodman.
