Get on your dancing shoes! It's time for Benny Goodman and the era of early swing!
I had the opportunity to start learning ballroom dancing a few years ago, and began with the waltz. Once my husband and I learned how to avoid stepping on each other's toes for that, it was really very fun; but I think I liked doing swing dancing even better. We had to stop our lessons, and didn't get very proficient, but I can see why going out to swing dances was so popular. Some of the young people today are learning swing, too, because it's a social dance that is exhilarating and yet somewhat "organized" -- instead of just "moving to the beat" however you want, there are certain steps to know.
Benny Goodman is famous for his outstanding clarinet playing and for his role as a bandleader during the beginning of swing; he was known as the "King of Swing." He grew up in Chicago, a city that was a hotspot for jazz in the early 20th century. His immigrant parents were very poor, but they encouraged Benny and his siblings to be diligent in their studies, and also to pursue playing a musical instrument-- in his case, the clarinet.
I had the opportunity to start learning ballroom dancing a few years ago, and began with the waltz. Once my husband and I learned how to avoid stepping on each other's toes for that, it was really very fun; but I think I liked doing swing dancing even better. We had to stop our lessons, and didn't get very proficient, but I can see why going out to swing dances was so popular. Some of the young people today are learning swing, too, because it's a social dance that is exhilarating and yet somewhat "organized" -- instead of just "moving to the beat" however you want, there are certain steps to know.
Benny Goodman is famous for his outstanding clarinet playing and for his role as a bandleader during the beginning of swing; he was known as the "King of Swing." He grew up in Chicago, a city that was a hotspot for jazz in the early 20th century. His immigrant parents were very poor, but they encouraged Benny and his siblings to be diligent in their studies, and also to pursue playing a musical instrument-- in his case, the clarinet.
Besides taking lessons at his local synagogue and through a settlement house that helped immigrant families, Benny listened to clarinet music on records, and practiced copying it back. He was quite proficient in playing by age 9, and at 12 years old he played an act at a local Vaudeville theater house. By 13 years old he was playing with a teen jazz band, then at 14 he quit school so he could pursue a full-time music career as a jazz clarinetist. At 19 (1928), after several years in jazz bands, he made his first solo record. By 24 he was signed to Columbia Records, to play jazz music, and the next year he started his own band. He called his band an "orchestra" when it was a "big band" with lots of instrumentalists. At various times he also had bands of 4 (quartet), 5 (quintet) or 6 (sextet).
Benny is known for his attitude of inclusion towards African Americans; he worked with and hired many black musicians at a time when segregation was still common. He also learned jazz arrangements from them. He and his band members had the honor of being the first jazz musicians to play at Carnegie Hall (1938).
Here is a musical piece from 1939, "Shivers." It is played by Benny Goodman's Sextet-- which at that time included Charlie Christian, known for introducing the music world to electric guitar solos. Please note: the photo doesn't change on this video; there is nothing to watch-- so just be prepared to get up and dance to this swing music, even if you don't know any swing steps.
Benny is known for his attitude of inclusion towards African Americans; he worked with and hired many black musicians at a time when segregation was still common. He also learned jazz arrangements from them. He and his band members had the honor of being the first jazz musicians to play at Carnegie Hall (1938).
Here is a musical piece from 1939, "Shivers." It is played by Benny Goodman's Sextet-- which at that time included Charlie Christian, known for introducing the music world to electric guitar solos. Please note: the photo doesn't change on this video; there is nothing to watch-- so just be prepared to get up and dance to this swing music, even if you don't know any swing steps.
After swing's heyday was over (in the late 1940's), Benny expanded his music performances to include playing classical music with orchestras. He also did some tours playing swing music in foreign countries-- Asia (1967-57), Western Europe (1958-59), and even the Soviet Union (1962) . He lived most of his life in New York City, and died at 77, in 1986.
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