Benny Goodman Trio

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Benny Goodman Trio was a small jazz group within the work of the American clarinettist and bandleader Benny Goodman, who lived from 1909 to 1986. In the 1930s Goodman led one of the most popular big bands of the swing era, but he also liked to play in a small line-up. In 1935 he made recordings with a trio and a quartet, which were later released as Original Benny Goodman Trio and Quartet Sessions, Vol. 1: After You've Gone.

Music and breakthrough

The group consisted of Goodman on clarinet, Teddy Wilson on piano and Gene Krupa on drums. Later Lionel Hampton joined on vibraphone, turning the trio into a quartet. That a Black pianist and vibraphonist stood together with a white bandleader on stage and in the studio was remarkable at the time. The small group had a light, transparent sound, in which every musician can be heard and the solos are given room. Such recordings from 1935 and 1936 stand alongside the big band records such as Sing, Sing, Sing. In 1938 the trio took part in the famous jazz concert in Carnegie Hall, of which a recording later appeared as 1937–1938 Jazz Concert No. 2.

Influence

The trio showed that swing was not only a matter for big orchestras. The chamber-music-like interplay of clarinet, piano and drums became a model for later small jazz groups.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 19521937-38 Jazz Concert No. 2
• ?1937/38 Jazz Concert No. 2, Vol. 1