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The Very Best of Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews) | More about this product

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Big band leader and virtuoso clarinettist Benny Goodman, known as the "King of Swing", was the ninth child (out of twelve) born in Chicago to poor Jewish immigrants from Poland. His style of jazz music would kick off the Swing Era after a now legendary performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, on August 21, 1935, during which the Jitterbug was invented. In only a few short days after… Read more in Amazon's Benny Goodman Store

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Product Details

Audio CD (November 7, 2000)
Original Release Date: November 7, 2000
Number of Discs: 1
Label: RCA
ASIN: B000050G85
In-Print Editions: MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,619 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#52 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Classic Big Band
#54 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Contemporary Big Band

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Muddled sound, but good song collection., July 7, 2006

By	Comic Online (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

If you are looking for a good single-disc collection of Benny Goodman's classic period (late '30s), with...
1. pretty new remastering for the best sound possible...
2. made by RCA/BMG (i.e., not a bootleg)...
3. at an affordable price...

...then you have two choices: The Very Best of Benny Goodman and BlueBird's Best- Benny Goodman: King Of Swing. They are both the same price and were newly mastered in 2000 and 2003 respectively.

The basic difference? "Very Best" has unnaturally deep bass. Don't get me wrong, if we had the technology to hear deep bass as it was recorded, then i am ALL for it. Unfortunately, the added bass on this release muddles out much of the bottom end. The drums, bass, and any other deep notes kinda run together. On the other end, the high end is clipped just slightly. It's got that bass beat that i suppose my generation is supposed to like, but since the mid-upper range is flat, it lacks punch.

Now, the "BlueBird's Best" sounds fantastic. The bass is just a tad on the restrained side, but the middle and upper frequencies are clear and defined. It has great punch, and the intruments are more detailed. Essentially, you HEAR MORE of the music. Besides, you can always turn the bass up slightly if you really need that deep bass. But you will NEVER be able to regain the clarity of the middle/upper frequencies by fiddling with your stereo. That clarity is lost on the "Very Best" collection.

Upon further inspection inside, i realized that even though they were released only 3 years apart, and come from the same company, they have totally different restoration engineers. I suppose since the newer one is clearer and more defined, they found good reason to change the mastering technique.

"Very Best" has a few more tracks than "BlueBird", but ALL the "Bluebird" tracks are big band tunes, whereas several on the other disc are with Goodman's Trios & Quartets. Those small groups are fantastic, but wouldn't you rather listen to them on BlueBird's sister album, Legendary Small Groups? (Trust me, they sound better there, too).

I think i've said enough. Listen for yourself and make up your own mind. As i try to collect different classic big band collections, i'm sticking with the BlueBird ones where available....next: Count Basie & Artie Shaw.

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71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Benny Goodman., February 21, 2002

By	Anthony Accordino (Massapequa Park, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's hard to believe that back in the 1930's music purists of the time considered Benny Goodman a rebel. Music was meant for listening while sitting. Along comes the king of swing and couples are dancing wildly up and down the isles of the paramount Theater in NY and everywhere else starting a new era for modern music. A foundation that led to the Rock N Roll Era. "The Very Best Of Benny Goodman" Is a very affordable overview of Benny's absolute prime. The sound quality thanks to remastering is fantastic and with 20 tracks it makes a fine collection for those who are considering purchasing a Goodman cd for the first time. Some great tunes are stuffed into this package like "And The Angels Sing" featuring vocals by Martha Tilton, "Stompin At The Savoy", "One O 'Clock Jump", "Bie Mir Bist Du Schoen" and of course the Louis Prima Classic "Sing Sing Sing" Featuring one of the greatest drummers of the day Gene krupa. This cd should be mandatory listening for the younger generation so they can appreciate the birth of modern day music as we know it. In some strange way all the kings and queens of modern music, Elvis, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and even Frank Sinatra can thank the king of swing Benny Goodman for paving the way.

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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The King Of Swing At His swingingest!, March 17, 2001

By A Customer

This cd contains original studio recordings of Benny Goodman's peak period: 1935-1939. Although I own many of these tunes on other Goodman cd's, this is a great compilation! Along with big band arrangements featuring Benny's best sidemen, vocalists Helen Ward and Martha Tilton are featured. Add the BG quartet, also an eight minute version of "Sing, Sing, Sing! If you are a swing fan this cd is a must!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Live the King (but you can do better)
This album certainly represents the best of Benny Goodman's big band and small group recordings at the height of Benny's popularity, and it would make a nice complement to "The... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Samuel Chell

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Band
I had given one of my Benny Goodman CD's away to a clarinet player and was desperately searching for a CD to replace it. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Pauline Nielsen

3.0 out of 5 stars Falls Short Of The Glory
I must warn you up front: tracks 2,10,11,15,16,17 and 18 are ALTERNATE TAKES, not the masters you are probably use to. And it is NOT advertised on the package! Read more

Published on May 17, 2007 by T. Dissinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Best of Benny Goodman.
To appreciate this one has to have danced to this orchectra. Been there and done that. Most talent heard in one group---ever. Read more

Published on May 7, 2007 by Earl M. Tigner

5.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best of Benny Goodman
I was a young teenager during Benny Goodman's era. My father loved the music and we listened to it frequently. What a great instrumentalist Mr. Goodman was! Read more

Published on April 11, 2007 by Peggy L. Mcintyre

5.0 out of 5 stars The Very Best is a Great One!
The only band leader who can hold a candle to Glenn Miller!

Published on March 22, 2007 by Terri B. Klingman

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Benny Goodman
I love the Big Band era and especially Benny Goodman. This is a good quality remastering of a variety of Goodman hits. Read more

Published on February 22, 2007 by E. Beraru

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Best of Benny Goodman - Lives Up to Its Name
Just lovely, took me back to my childhood when my parents would play this music ... and also to Abbot & Costello movies which I grew up on, wonderful, wonderful music, wonderful,... Read more

Published on January 3, 2007 by E. B. Rodriguez

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Clarinet was also a musical revolutionary
Benny Goodman is by all accounts one of the greatest jazz clarinetists of all time. But he is more than that. He made major contributions to American music. Read more

Published on June 13, 2006 by Shalom Freedman

5.0 out of 5 stars Bennie's Sing, Sing, Sing
I first heard Goodman's arrangement of "Sing, Sing, Sing" in 1939. In my mind, it is the essential classic swing/jazz song. Read more

Published on February 23, 2006 by Douglas Wilson

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The Very Best of Benny Goodman

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