Karen Blixt and her “Mad Hope” ~ Frank’s second record he produced for Karen Blixt.Yoshi’s on the 15th April in Oakland. The show will be open to the public. On trumpet will be Randy Brecker from the Brecker Brothers. Frank Martin on piano and keyboard. We also will have well known pianist Patrice Rushen. On guitar will be Jose Neto of the Steve Winwood band. On percussion will be Alex Acuna from the Weather Report band. Bassist Abraham Laboriel, who is the most recorded bass player in history and former Yellowjacket member William Kennedy as the drummer will round out the rhythm section. Vocalist Kenny Washington will make a guest appearance as well. On the CD he recorded one song as a duet with Karen.
by Ranie Smith, Executive Director of the UC Jazz Club
“The UC Jazz Club wishes to thank all its members and the community at large for your continued support. “
“An Evening at Yoshi’s “
On November 12, 2007 the UC Jazz Ensembles performed their First Annual Fundraising Concert. The performance was stellar. Ted Moore, the Musical Director, Brad Brennan, Associate Director of Student Musical Activities together the Carol Suveda, Head of the Fundraising committee were pleased with the community response. It was clear that the community was greatly pleased with the students performance.
The fundraiser could not have been as successful without the strong support of Linda Marquardt, mother of Megan Marquardt. Megan dazzled audiences with her stellar performance. Members of the audience who had not experienced a UC Jazz Ensembles show expressed their astonishment. They applauded the performances, the flawless timing and the amazing solo performances, and the creative interplay between the instruments.
Enjoy the performance! Eddie Lankford Productions filmed a large part of it for your enjoyment. We hope that you will agree with the UC Jazz Club members that this is a worthwhile music program that provides these committed and talented students a chance to deepen their talent. Your continued support is much appreciated.
Frank Martin’s Advanced Combo brought a performance worthy of the beautiful and renown venue at Yoshi’s. Megan Marquardt, tenor sax, and Rolf Olson, tenor sax, gave a stunning performance together with Jeff Wiguna. Ryan Finch, bass, and Alex Wheatley, drums and Luke Hardesty, drums grounded the performance with their flawless rhythm section. They opened up with “Steps” by Chick Corea, brought the house down with “Sonnymoon for Two” by Sonny Rollins. Rosette Diaz, special guest vocalist, stole the show with her spirited and ravishing performance of “Straighten Up and Fly Right”. Megan Marquardt and Rolf Olson amazed the audience with their rendition of “Nardis” by Miles Davis, and Jeff Wiguna, held the audience spell-bound with his performance of “Armando’s Rumba” by Chick Corea.
Ted Moore’s Advanced Combo gave a performance that gave you the feeling of being in the presence of greatness. Amy Shen shined on both the flute and the alto saxophone. She was complimented and supported by Andrew Baltazar on tenor sax, whose performance was flawless and mature giving you the feeling of listening to a much older jazz great. Richard Conway, trumpet, amazed as always with his precision and technique. Kirk Danielson, an award-winning pianist, carried off a performance that silenced the room with the audience spell-bound. Gary Johnson, bass, captured the audience and left them hungry for more. We hope he will keep playing because we want to hear him any chance we can get. He is hugely talented. Yanik Jayaram, drums, has a light touch that gave this ensemble a light-hearted backdrop. They performed Invitation by Kaper/Washington, Tuties, by Gary Johnson – we will keep watching his career. Please Gary keep playing! The classic of “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter was followed by the Killer June by Ted Moore and Rubidium, by Amy Shen. This ensemble touched the soul and left you wishing for more.
The second set began with Dann Zinn’s Advanced Combo who showed Amy Shen and Andrew Baltazar on woodwinds. Amy is so amazing! She composes and is stellar on every instrument she plays. Charles Chen gave a piano performance that was passionate and showed off his technique. Clayton Ernst and the superbly talented Benny Amon played with a majority beyond their age in supporting the band. The entire ensemble played in a way that gave the impression that these complex pieces were easy for them to play. They performed “Free for All” by Wayne Shorter, “Mei Hua” by Amy Shen, “Solace in a Dream” by Amy Shen, and “Eat the Piano” by Charles Chen.
The show ended with a stellar Big Band performance, which we unfortunately could not film this time around. They were amazing and we encourage you to read the UC Jazz Newsletter regularly to make sure you can catch them next time. Steve Campos organizes regular performances with his Big Band and we encourage you to check out his impressive background. His experience is transmitted to the Big Band who play together as though have have been together for years.
Please join the UC Jazz Club and join in the fun. Our club members learned quickly that the joy we get out of supporting this wonderful program greatly outweighs the effort we put into supporting them. Join in the fun of keeping this all important cultural program alive. Come to the performances or give a secure online donation using your credit card at: https://egiving.berkeley.edu/urelgift/jazz.html
We appreciate your support! And, we hope you enjoy this and future shows!
Once in a while a Jazz musician comes along and changes the course and direction of music, an instrumentalist that takes his instrument into a new direction that [all those] others after him follow like a beacon. These innovators, to name a few, include: Charlie Parker on alto sax, Wes Montgomery on guitar, Oscar Peterson or Bill Evans on piano.1
However, on the bass, there is only one: Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke, raised in Philadelphia, burst onto the music scene as a teenager in 1971, arriving in New York straight out of the Philadelphia Academy of Music. He immediately landed jobs with famous bandleaders such as: Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, and a budding young pianist composer named Chick Corea.
Before Stanley Clarke, the traditional role of the bassist in the band was that of [the] timekeeper; and also [functioning as] the foundation, the person in the band that played the lowest note in the chord, the note that the chordal structures of the songs were built upon. Stanley came along with a deep sense of melody crafted from years of listening to all of the musicians that came before him, not just the bassists. He also had an intense command of the instrument, because of his height, large hands and sincere and total dedication.
He began to pull away from the traditional role of the bassist and started to bring his instrument into the forefront. Stanley pushed himself towards perfection with relentless attention to be the best. His efforts catapulted him to the front of the stage as a viable melodic bass soloist where his dream manifested first in the Grammy Award Winning jazz-fusion band “Return to Forever”. RTF recorded eight albums, two of which were certified gold (“Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” and “Romantic Warrior”); and one, “No Mystery”, won a Grammy award.
One of Stanley Clarke’s fellow bassist’s, Victor Wooten, an accredited bassist of the new era who followed in the tradition, presented the 2006 Bass Player Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award to him and had this to say: “There’s no way I would pass on the chance to present this award to Stanley Clarke, a man who has changed the lives of so many musicians, created opportunities for all of us bassists, and been a huge influence on me and my playing.
Presenting Stanley Clarke with a Lifetime Achievement Award is a dream come true.” Wooten continued, “Scoring movies, making recordings, and touring the world, Stanley Clarke has paved the way for all of us by spreading low-end love all over. To me, that is what a Lifetime Achievement Award is all about. It’s not just what you’ve done with your life, but also what you’ve done to help others improve their lives. I believe that Stanley has done more than he realizes in that regard”.
Clarke is a man of “firsts”— having been the first bassist in history who could double on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity, as well as the first bassist ever to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide. Clarke recorded what is now considered to be the must-know bass anthem, “School Days.” To this day, accomplished and aspiring bassists continue to imitate his style seeking to master his pioneered techniques.
“Music makes people feel! That’s what it’s all about.”
— Frankye Kelly
When people hear Frankye Kelly sing – they understand first hand what a true Diva is all about. Listening to her perform makes you feel like you are in the presence of true greatness. Her passion and sweetness comes across in some songs, her passion and strength in others and at all times it is performed with true class.
It was obvious from an early age that Frankye Kelly would be a singer. Living in Jackson, Mississippi for a few years with her grandparents, she remembers performing in a play when she was just three. Since her father was in the Air Force, her childhood was spent living in many different locations including California, Minnesota, Germany and Delaware and back to California. She heard the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan along the way as well as Fats Domino and Little Richard although most of her early singing was in church, acapella groups and choirs. She got married very young and devoted herself to her children until they were grown.
After her children were grown Frankye Kelly decided to start performing jazz. At a family reunion Frankye received important guidance from her cousin, the late great blues master Albert Collins, click to see U-tube Albert Collins famous “Iceman” performance. The main thing Albert told her is that it is up to her to please and reach her audience, and he told her to always sing what she felt. He flew Frankye Kelly to a lot of his concerts to have her experience life of a musician and to see what is was like. She saw how hard he worked and was inspired.
Nine years after Frankye had moved to San Francisco, in 1989, Frankye Kelly pursued her dream of being a jazz singer. She explained: “I wanted to sing jazz because of its freedom and because that way I could express myself the way I wanted. I studied jazz not only to learn the music but to learn about myself. I didn’t want to listen too closely to singers because I didn’t want to copy anyone, so instead I listened constantly to Miles Davis. I always loved the way he played. He would take his time, not rushing into it, and he played with a lot of feeling.”
Frankye has recorded three CDs: The Night is Young was recorded at Kimball’s West and showed those at the time who were unfamiliar with her just how talented a jazz singer she is, serving as a strong introduction. My Life, More Than It Is: Not Just the Blues is an appealing mixture of pop, blues, R&B and jazz, displaying a great deal of variety but staying consistently rewarding. Her most recent CD,Live at Yoshi’s, Frankye Kelly Sings Songs For My Father, was recorded on several occasions at Yoshi’s Jazz House, and is a collection of some of her favorite jazz songs. It is dedicated to her father who was at all of the sessions and has since passed away.
Frankye Kelly will be leaving for Thailand for a four month tour next month. We are fortunate to have this living legend chose the Bay Area as her home. In 2006, Frankye Kelly spent six months singing in China, performing in Shanghai during a pair of lengthy visits. She regularly performs in France, Mexico, Japan and China and throughout the US. She has sung at many jazz festivals including the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival and the Fillmore Jazz Festival. Frankye Kelly has performed in the Bay Area at Yoshi’s, “Top of the Mark” at the Mark Hopkins Hotel (with pop superstar Ricardo Scales), Jazz at Pearl’s, Kimball’s East, Kimball’s West and at the Ritz Carlton Hotels.
Frankye Kelly is a busy woman aside of touring and performing locally, she teaches Jazz workshops in Napa, CA and France, spends time with young girls in the community, hosts a TV show “Jazz with Frankye” now in its 10th season, watch her interview with another Bay Area Great – Wayne Wallace.
Frankye Kelly often performs at the prestigious JAZZschool in Berkeley, CA.
Steve Campos directing the Big Band at the UC Jazz Ensembes
“Music is a fair and glorious gift of God. I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art that can be placed on the same level with music.” Steve Campos favorite quote is by religious founder Martin Luther
Steve Campos, teaches Trumpet for Big Band
Mr. Campos has performed with Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Dr. John, Big Brother and the Holding Co., Boz Scaggs, Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown’s Big Band, Dave Eshleman’s Jazz Garden, Full Faith and Credit, Rudy Salvini, and various other acts and bands.
As performer, Steve Campos has had the opportunity to play and record with some of L.A.’s best. He has worked professionally with jazz artists Alan Pasqua, Dave Carpenter, Joe Labarbara, Isaac Smith, Jason Goldman, Kristin Korb, Tim Davies, and others as well as with pop icons A.J. McClean and Colin Hay. He received the Friends of Jazz Scholarship for being an outstanding performer in the jazz field. He participates in the ASMAC composers’ workshop where he worked with established composers Bob Florence and Kim Richmond.
Steve Campos completed his studies in jazz, classical, and film composition and orchestration at the University of Southern California in May of 2004. He was the recipient of the prestigious Randy Newman Scholarship while attending USC and was commissioned to arrange and conduct a Newman original for symphony orchestra in honor of Randy Newman’s appearance at the annual Charles Dickens Dinner. Steve Campos’ works are performed by the Kim Richmond Jazz Orchestra, the Billy Frenzel Jazz Orchestra, the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra, the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra, as well as the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Jazz Ensemble.
Steve Campos In the News
The trumpet section, (Mike Vax, Dennis Noday, John Harner, Steve Campos and Steve Huffsteter) to quote Doug Hughes, “could peel off that old wallpaper you need removed in your home.” www.bigbandjazz.net
“Steve is a young man with a genius for music. He shows great knowledge, perception and ability to express musical ideas in a variety of styles. He is well equipped with the tools of composition, orchestration, and arranging in a variety of styles. His aptitude for film scoring is evident in his work, whether for full orchestra or smaller ensemble. He is well versed in pop, classical and jazz sounds and textures. Steve is someone to watch as a new and fresh voice on the music scene. Add to this his enormous prowess as a brilliant jazz trumpet soloist, and you have something very special.” Kim Richmond saxophonist/grammy nominated composer
“This is one special jazz vocal debut album from Los Angeles area-based Judy Wexler, based upon the musicians and recording studio. Thirteen well-chosen tunes reflect a wide spectrum of popular music, and nary a one can be accused of being overexposed over the decades. the 1960s tune “Down Here On The Ground,” lifted from the film Cool Hand Luke and now a jazz standard, is also taken in a midtempo groove and features a Steven Campos trumpet solo. This album stands miles ahead in the proliferating femme jazz vocal field. I can only hope that it will find its way to the in-baskets of the various jazz radio programmers, and fast! Michael Gladstone, www.allaboutjazz.com
Produced by Barbara Brighton, “Easy on the Heart” has one memorable performance after another. The repertoire is filled with superior obscurities and occasional standards, with highlights including Henry Mancini’s “Moment to Moment,” Oscar Brown’s “Humdrum Blues,” a touching “Tell Him I Said Hello,” and “Down Here on the Ground.” The arrangements expertly utilize pianist Alan Pasqua’s trio (with bassist Darek Oles and drummer Tim Pleasant), Bob Sheppard’s reeds (which include bass clarinet and soprano), and trumpeter Steven Campos. Jazziz Magazine
On The Long and the Short of It, the Bay Area-based Michael O’Neill Quintet has devised a unique role for featured singer Kenny Washington. Washington sings a number of standards in a fairly straightforward manner, but on the originals by O’Neill, he is essentially used as another horn, vocalizing the melody or harmony along with the horns of O’Neill and Steve Campos. Stephen Latessa www.allaboutjazz.com
Arranger/conductor/keyboardist Frank Martin has performed and/or recorded with a variety of artists that include Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Steve Winwood, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Chris Isaak, Tevin Campbell, Cheryl Crow, Philip Bailey, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, and Madonna.
In the jazz world of music his performance credits include Flora Purim & Airto Moriera, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden, Stanley Jordan, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme, Bobby McFerrin, John Handy, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Farrell, and the Slide Hampton Big Band. Orchestra performances included concerts with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Lukes (New York Philharmonic Orchestra).
As a producer he has worked with such artists as Al Jarreau, Lisa Fischer, Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra, the Award Winning A Cappella group SoVoSo, Gospel vocalists NuVision, story telling Jazz vocalist Rhiannon, Jazz guitarist Mimi Fox featuring organist Joey DeFrancesco and vocalist Angela Bofill, jazz vocalist Karin Blixt featuring Buddy Montgomery, Russell Ferrante, Bruce Forman, Alex Acuna, and William Kennedy, as well as Dutch vocalist Ellen Honert featuring Dori Caymmi, Abraham Laboriel, Turtle Island String Quartet, Tuck & Patti, and Pedro Eustache.
As Musical Director he has toured with such artists as Patti Austin, Angela Bofill, Narada Michael Walden, Mickey Thomas, Roy Ares, Tevin Campbell, and Clarence Clemens.
For two years he also worked as assistant Musical Director for The Afternoon Show on KPIX Television in San Francisco, California. Currently on staff as an educator at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, California, he is in demand as a clinician both in the United States, having taught at the Naropa Institute in Boulder Colorado, Stanford Jazz Workshops at Stanford University, as well as in Europe at the acclaimed SAMI Institute in Sweden. Annual music summer camps include JazzCampWest and the Lafayette Summer Music Workshops.
Dann Zinn teaches saxophone and leads the UC Jazz Intermediate Combo III Ensemble
Dann Zinn https://www.dannzinn.com/
Dann Zinn plays saxophones, flutes, and various ethnic flutes. He has recorded or performed with Joe Henderson, Russell Ferrante (from The Yellow Jackets), Chuck Findley (The Tonight Show), Jeff Tain Watts, Freddie Hubbard, Mary Wells, and Martha and the Vandellas, among many others.
Dann’s first solo album of original music, Ten Songs, has garnered critical acclaim through the U.S. and Europe from publications such as Jazz Times and JazzIz. Current projects include original world fusion band Jack, jazz group The Deadly Zinns, and free improv band Spontanous Burstation.
Dann Zinn performs and teaches a blend of processed and original jazz and world music
He tours throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Locally, he has been featured at the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Yoshi’s Nightspot, and the Kuumbwa Jazz Center among countless others.
His first solo recording of original music, Ten Songs, has garnered critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe from such prestigious publications as Jazz Times and JazzIz. Other performances include numerous television, radio, and multi media projects, such as Tiger Woods and John Madden video games, Kangaroddy children show on PBS, and a Willie Mays special on CBS.
He is also working on a series of tone and technique books which present various systems for organizing scales and related subjects.
In addition to teaching the UC Jazz Intermediate Combo III, Dann has taught saxophone, big bands, jazz combos, history of jazz, history of rock and roll, music appreciation, and applied woodwind classes at Cal State University, East Bay for ten years. He is also on the faculty of the Dave Brubeck Institute and the Jazz School. Dann has received two teacher recognition awards from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and has been selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2005.Current projects include original world fusion band Jack, jazz group The Deadly Zinns, and free improv band Spontanous Burstation.
Ted Moore created the UC Jazz Club to infuse his department with community spirit and to share his students’ talent with the Bay Area Community!
Ted Moore
Mr. Moore is head of the prestigious Jazz Department at UC Berkeley. Aside of his administrative duties he offers his skills as the Percussion Director of UC Jazz Ensembles Advanced Combo II, Improv Workshop
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Ted Moore has toured the world with Paul Winter, Marian McPartland, Stan Getz, Joe Williams and many others. For several years, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, performing timpani and percussion with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, as well as touring and recording with one of Brazil’s leading saxophonists, Victor Assis Brasil. Mr. Moore has composed original scores for several films and television series, including the NOVA science series on PBS.
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Ted has pursued a career which has taken him to many parts of the world with many different artists. He is leader and composer for his own Brazilian jazz group, Brasilia, which has released its first CD to national acclaim. He has performed with Stan Getz, Paul Winter, Marian McPartland, Eric Gale, Jack Wilkins, Gene Bertoncini, and Joey DeFrancesco. On tour, Ted has performed throughout the US and Canada, as well as Japan, Spain, England and Holland.
He also spent two years living in Rio de Janeiro as percussionist with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, and performing with many well known Brazilian jazz artists. He has played in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Cathedral of St. John in New York, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Ted Moore, Director, UC Jazz Ensembles
Ted Moore’s Brasilia and the Oregon Symphony
In February 2007, Director of UC Jazz, Ted Moore, will once again be performing his arrangements for small group and symphony orchestra, this time with the Oregon Symphony in Portland. The concert will feature his group, Brasilia, including Phil Markowitz on piano and Romero Lubambo on guitar. This follows last season’s appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Vancouver Symphony.
“[Ted] Moore’s originals speak the bossa dialect more authentically than the compositions of perhaps any other non-Brazilian.” — Mark Holston, JazzIz magazine
“[Ted] Moore’s writing is true to bossa nova standards in its relentless melodicism and unexpected chord progressions. Driggs’ vocals effortlessly find the balance between strength and femininity.” Jazz Southwest magazine
Ted Moore creates the UC Jazz Club to infuse his department with community spirit and to share his students’ talent with the Bay Area Community!
Mr. Moore is head of the prestigious Jazz Department at UC Berkeley. Aside from his administrative duties he offers his skills as the Percussion Director of UC Jazz Ensembles Advanced Combo II, Improv Workshop.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Ted Moore has toured the world with Paul Winter, Marian McPartland, Stan Getz, Joe Williams, Eric Gale, Jack Wilkins, Gene Bertonzini, Joey DeFrancesco, and many others. For several years, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, performing timpani and percussion with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, as well as touring and recording with one of Brazil’s leading saxophonists, Victor Assis Brasil. Mr. Moore has composed original scores for several films and television series, including the NOVA science series on PBS. Currently,
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music, Ted has pursued a career which has taken him to many parts of the world with many different artists. He is leader and composer for his own Brazilian jazz group, Brasilia, which has released its first CD to national acclaim. On tour, Ted has performed throughout the US and Canada, as well as Japan, Spain, England and Holland.
He has played in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Cathedral of St. John in New York, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Ted Moore in the News
Ted Moore’s Brasilia and the Oregon Symphony. In February 2007, Director of UC Jazz, Ted Moore, once again performs his arrangements for small group and symphony orchestra, this time with the Oregon Symphony in Portland.
The concert features his group, Brasilia, including Phil Markowitz on piano and Romero Lubambo on guitar. This follows last season’s appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Vancouver Symphony.
Brasilia – Ted Moore’s with his reknowned and accomplished band members
Brasilia
“[Ted] Moore’s originals speak the bossa dialect more authentically than the compositions of perhaps any other non-Brazilian.” — Mark Holston, JazzIz magazine
“[Ted] Moore’s writing is true to bossa nova standards in its relentless melodicism and unexpected chord progressions. Driggs’ vocals effortlessly find the balance between strength and femininity.” Jazz Southwest magazine
“[Ted] Moore’s originals speak the bossa dialect more authentically than the compositions of perhaps any other non-Brazilian.” — Mark Holston, JazzIz magazine
“Pamela Driggs is one of the best new voices in jazz.” — Herbie Mann
“One of the freshest and most exciting releases of the year celebrates the musical traditions of Brazil in thoroughly captivating style… Brasilia is definitely a band to watch.” — JazzTimes magazine
“The affection the members of Brasilia have for the Brazilian genre is evident… some of the most sensitive and resourceful practitioners of the music to come along in years.” — Mark Holston, JazzIz magazine
“This impressive band remains faithful to the highest standards of Brazilian music while delivering an ear-catching personality all their own — a difficult feat and one that merits much attention in an era of luke-warm Latin sounds.” — Dave McElfresh, JazzNow magazine
“A cohesive program of exuberant rhythms and seductive melodies… that evolves with an uncommon blend of logic and emotion. Pamela’s voice is a remarkable instrument, defining the bittersweet edge of the Brazilian style with deft perfection and a natural ease that’s totally disarming.” — Mark Holston, JazzIz magazine
“[Ted] Moore’s writing is true to bossa nova standards in its relentless melodicism and unexpected chord progressions. Driggs’ vocals effortlessly find the balance between strength and femininity.” — Jazz Southwest magazine
“Singer [Pam] Driggs does remind the listener of some of the best chanteuses in the bossa nova movement.” — Phoenix New Times
“Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether it’s in music or in life, something as small as failing to be polite, you start to lose substance. ” Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman, the King of Swing by Ranie Smith
Benjamin David Goodman was born on May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois to immigrants David Goodman and Dora Grisinsky Goodman. Benny grew up with eleven siblings.
His father worked as a tailor. As a ten-year-old, Benny Goodman, learned how to play the clarinet at the local synagogue. He was fortunate that there he was taught by Chicago Symphony Member, Franz Schoepp. Two of his brothers learned the tuba and the trumpet. Benny Goodman was very talented and joined his first band when he was 11 years old – performing at the Hull-House. He joined the American Federation of Musicians when he was 14 and devoted himself full-time to his music career. His father passed away and therefore the 15-year-old Benny used the money he made to help support his family Benny was 16 he joined the Ben Pollack band and became a featured soloist. In 1929 Benny left the Ben Pollack band to participate in recording sessions and radio shows in New York City. In 1933 John Hammond, a jazz promoter, recorded Benny Goodman together with drummer Gene Krupa and trombonist Jack Teagarden. This recording gainedBenny Goodman national popularity. In 1942, Benny married John Hammond’s sister, Alice Hammond Duckworth and had two daughters Rachel and Benji.
Benny led his first band in 1934 and their music had its roots in the
Southern jazz forms of ragtime and Dixieland, while its structure adhered more
to arranged music than its more improvisational jazz counterparts. This gave it
an accessibility that appealed to American audiences on a wide scale. America
began to hear Benny ‘s band when he secured a weekly engagement for his band on
NBC’s radio show “Let’s Dance,” which was taped with a live studio
audience. The new swing music had the kids dancing when, on August 21, 1935,
Benny’s band played the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. It was sensational and
marked the beginning of the years during which Benny Goodman reigned as King of
the Swing. Benny Goodman’s band became hugely successful among listeners from
all different backgrounds all around the world.
Benny Goodman was all about the music: ” If a guy got it, let him give it. I’m selling music, not prejudice.” During this period Benny also became famous for being colorblind when it came to racial segregation and prejudice. Pianist Teddy Wilson, an African-American, first appeared in the Benny Goodman Trio at the Congress Hotel in 1935. Benny added Lionel Hampton, who would later
form his own band, to his Benny Goodman Quartet the next year. While these groups were not the first bands to feature both white and black musicians, Benny’s national popularity helped to make racially mixed groups more accepted in the mainstream. Time magazine in 1937 to call him the “King of Swing.” Benny Goodman and his band made history as the first jazz band ever to play in New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall along with musicians from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. After this success there were many
changes to the band and he was joined by Cootie Williams and Charlie Christian, as well as Jimmy Maxwell and Mel Powell, among others.
In the late 40s and 50s music tastes changed and Bop, Rock and Roll gained in popularity. Benny Goodman started playing solos with major orchestras. He enjoyed classical music and studied with internationally acclaimed classical clarinetist Reginald Kell. In 1955 a film chronicling his life, The Benny Goodman Story was released. Benny Goodman then started touring the world, bringing his music to Asia and Europe. When he traveled to the USSR, one writer observed that “the swing music that had once set the jitterbugs dancing in the Paramount aisles almost blew down the Iron Curtain.”
During the late 1960s and 1970s, Benny appeared in reunions with the other members of his quartet: Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton. In 1978, the Benny Goodman band also appeared at Carnegie Hall again to mark the 30th Anniversary of when they appeared in the venue’s first jazz concert. In 1982, Benny was honored by the Kennedy Center for his lifetime achievements in swing music. In 1986, he received both an honorary doctorate degree in music from Columbia University and the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
He continued to play the music that defined his lifetime in occasional concert dates until his death in June 1986, of cardiac arrest. He was laid to rest at Long Ridge Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut.
Benny Goodman is credited for the original sound that defined the Swing Era and made him the world-renowned King of Swing.
