King of Swing
- Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman known to have started the swing craze with his 3 week engagement at the Palomar Ballroom, in Los Angeles August 1935, while starting with playing stock arrangements for the first set with mild success, according to Willard Alexander Goodmans booking agent, Gene Krupa suggested to Goodman,(If we’re going to die Benny then lets die playing our own music) their second set included the arrangements of Fletcher Henderson and Spud Murphy.
The crowd went crazy breaking into cheers and applause and dancing wildly. News reports spread rapidly of the enthusiastic dancing and exciting new music that was happening. During the 3 week engagement, the “Jitterbug” began to appear as a new dance craze, and radio broadcasts carried the band’s performances across the nation.The Palomar engagement was a tremendous success and it is often exaggeratedly described as the beginning of the swing era. The Swing Era had been waiting to happen, but it was Goodman and his band that started it all.
The “Very Best of Benny Goodman” is a good recording to start to discover his music.
