The Benny Goodman Band

The Swing Era: Pioneering Jazz Music in the United States

The Swing era developed in the United States between 1930 and 1940. This era is famous as it pioneered the development of jazz music. In fact, scholars have argued that the swing era brought respectability to jazz music as it was now played in ballrooms as well as other halls that represented the American high culture. Some of the bands associated with this era include the Duke Ellington band, Benny Goodman band, Count Basie as well as the Glen Miller band among others. This paper aims to focus on the Benny Goodman band.

The Birth and Successes of the Benny Goodman Band

The Goodman band was started by Benny Goodman who was christened the king of swing in the early 1930s. This band marked the beginning of the swing era. Benny Goodman was a skilled clarinetist who gave the band its distinctive identity. A series of Goodman’s successes inspired him to form this orchestra whose debut performance was on June 1, 1934 (“Benny Goodman & His Orchestra | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic”, 2018). With a collection of several talented instrumentalists, the band achieved an array of successes during the swing era. However, the American entry into the second world war, as well as the recording ban instigated by the American Federation of Musicians, disadvantaged the orchestra. Nonetheless, the band still scored various top ten hits from the songs recorded before the ban.

Challenges and Changes in the Goodman Band

In 1939, Goodman had lost many instrumentalists and was facing stiff competition from other bands (Collier, 1989). Some of these instrumentalists had formed their own bands. Despite this setback, the Goodman band managed to have eight songs in the top ten list that year. However, his victory was transitory as the progress of the band slowed due to Benny Goodman’s illness.

The Influence and Legacy of Benny Goodman

Goodman was a jazz and clarinet legend and as a bandleader, his prowess influenced a lot of people. His band was multiracial and became the first band to perform in Carnegie Hall during an era when music was extremely segregated. Furthermore, the Goodman band had African American composers in its repertoire, a factor which was fundamentally unheard of. The band focused on jazz music but later transitioned to the classical repertoire (Collier, 1989). The band leader Benjamin Goodman commissioned clarinet compositions and orchestras that have now become the fundamental components of classical music.

Famous Collaborators and Impact on Racial Segregation in Jazz

Benny Goodman brought fame to musicians who played with him. Among the band’s important members was Billie Holiday. The band leader heard her singing at a New York club at 16 and he integrated her into his band (Mattern, 2013). Billie Holiday made her recording debut two years later with the band. She recorded her music with Teddy Wilson who was an immaculate pianist. As this pianist had a definitive sound, Goodman added him to the band. Furthermore, Wilson’s sound added great foil to Goodman’s clarinet. Later, Goodman saw Peggy Lee singing at the Chicago’s Buttery room and recognized her remarkable singing talent (Mattern, 2013). She joined the band in 1941 and went on to make her first hit with the band. Earlier members of the group included Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa (Mattern, 2013). Evidently, Goodman had a keen eye for talent. However, many of his band members defected after a few songs or years and transition to other things. Scholars have speculated that Benny Goodman could have been difficult to work with.

The Revolutionary Carnegie Hall Concert

One of the historical impacts of the band is the fact that it broke the racial segregation associated with jazz. The band’s concert at the Carnegie Hall was revolutionary. With his band members, Goodman claimed a new position for jazz music in the American culture that night (Schuller, 1991). This concert is termed as the most important event in jazz history. With his career at the peak, Benny Goodman gave his band the opportunity to play in Carnegie Hall which was considered the citadel of high American culture.

Organizing the Carnegie Hall Concert

Although Benny Goodman laughed off the idea of performing at the Carnegie Hall at first, he slowly warmed up to the notion and threw himself into the task of organizing the event. In addition to the regular members of his band who included Lionel Hampton who played the vibraphone and Gene Krupa who played the drums as well as Harry James who played the trumpet, Benny Goodman featured other influential musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras (Schuller, 1991). This concert sold out weeks before the event with the best seats going at $2.75.

Redefining Racial Segregation in Jazz

The Goodman band constituted African-American members who took part in the performance at the Carnegie Hall. Prior to that event, jazz was considered a white man’s music (“Benny Goodman & His Orchestra | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic”, 2018). The band’s performance broke the racial segregation that existed in music during that era. It was the first band to integrate black musicians and perform in an American high culture hall. This move made the band achieve the impossible notion that jazz could also be played by African-Americans.

The Impact of the Carnegie Hall Concert on Jazz

During the Carnegie Hall concert, Krupa had already introduced a drum solo to jazz. Furthermore, his star status had raised the role of other drummers. However, his stunning performance at the concert sealed the deal. His energetic single on “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing” coupled with band-driving command made history that night (”Benny Goodman & His Orchestra | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | AllMusic“, 2018). The events of this concert marked the future of jazz in America. In fact, any bands that were subsequently acknowledged for their legitimacy often performed at the Carnegie hall which had now become the home of jazz.

The Decline and Legacy of the Goodman Band

Members of the Goodman band defected after a few songs or years. Furthermore, the American war led to the band’s decline. In the 1950s, Benjamin Goodman took his music worldwide as a solo artist. In 1986, he died from cardiac arrest. However, his band did not continue as most of its members had already defected before his death (Collier, 1989). Nonetheless, Goodman left a legacy in the jazz world.

The Goodman Band’s Contribution to Jazz Music

The Swing era was highly associated largely with a white audience who possessed the ability to criticize black jazz artists. However, the Goodman band shunned this notion during its performance at the Carnegie Hall. Evidently, this band pioneered the development of jazz music in many ways. As such, it remains legendary especially in jazz halls of fame.

Work Cited

”Benny Goodman & His Orchestra | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links | Allmusic“. Allmusic, 2018, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/benny-goodman-his-orchestra-mn0000591425. Accessed 28 Nov 2018.

Collier, James Lincoln. Benny Goodman And The Swing Era. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Mattern, Joanne. Benny Goodman. Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2013.

Schuller, Gunther. The Swing Era. Oxford University Press, 1991.