[Dixielandjazz] Kingdom of Swing

[Dave Stoddard]

Dear Listers:

Those desiring a close look at Benny Goodman should try the Ross Firestone bio Swing Swing Swing.  Goodman was a fantastic player, but notoriously hard on his sidemen.  Despite his own technical and artistic brilliance Goodman was quick to feel discontent with his players, but wasn't always good at diagnosing the discontent and asking for specific improvements or changes.  He fired numbers of musicians without a coherent explanation.

When Goodman re-formed his big band in the 1950s, he recorded a series of his old hits.  Some of the players had been on the originals twenty years before, and he was still treating them like children.  The new recordings are quite good, by the way.  You can hear them on the CD album BG in Hi-Fi.

Regards,
Dave Stoddard
Round Rock, TX