RIP, Benny Goodman (1909-1986)

Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman died of a heart attack in New York City on June 13, 1986, at the age of 77. He was buried near his country farm home outside Stamford, Connecticut, next to his wife, who had passed away in 1978.

Goodman was known as "the King of Swing" and led one of the most popular musical groups in America. Goodman's bands launched the careers of many major names in jazz, including Chrlie Christian, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, and Lionel Hampton. During the age of segregation, Goodman also led one of the first well-known racially-integrated jazz groups.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert - 1938 (Columbia), which, according to Lyons, "catches the band at its peak." This concert 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." The album is available on CD from Amazon.com.

Goodman's band can be heard playing "Honeysuckle Rose" from that Carnegie Hall concert here:

Robert
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