1936

ere's a chronological survey of studio recordings made by Benny Goodman with his trio and orchestra for the Victor label during the spring and summer of 1936 in New York, Chicago, and Hollywood. Riding on solid arrangements by Horace Henderson ("Walk, Jennie, Walk"), Fletcher Henderson ("Remember," "I Would Do Anything for You," "I've Found a New Baby," "You Turned the Tables on Me," and "Down South Camp Meeting"), Spud Murphy, and Jimmy Mundy, it's obvious why this big band went over so well. Mundy's arrangements of Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" and his own "House Hop" dramatically demonstrate the Goodman orchestra's famously fine approach to making music for slow dancers and jitterbugs alike. Two trio sessions with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa produced ripping hot versions of "China Boy" and "Nobody's Sweetheart," a rock-solid "Oh, Lady Be Good," a gorgeous and reflective "More Than You Know," and a pair of pretty love songs sung by Helen Ward, who also pipes up on five of the big-band tracks. At this point in the Goodman orchestra's evolution, the influence of Fletcher Henderson was strongly felt. Today, decades after his demise, Henderson is finally acknowledged as the concealed genius behind some of Benny Goodman's very best recorded performances. ~ arwulf arwulf|