Goodman was regarded by some as a demanding taskmaster, by others an arrogant and eccentric martinet. Many musicians spoke of The Ray, Goodman's trademark glare that he bestowed on a musician who failed to perform to his demanding standards. Anita O'Day and Helen Forrest spoke bitterly of their experiences singing with Goodman. "The twenty or so months I spent with Benny felt like twenty years," said Forrest. "When I look back, they seem like a life sentence." He could also be incredibly self-absorbed; it is reported that when eating an egg onto which a ketchup bottle cap had fallen, Goodman simply ate around it. At the same time, there are reports that he privately funded several college educations and was sometimes very generous, though always secretly. When a friend asked him why one time, he reportedly said, "Well, if they knew about it, everyone would come to me with their hand out."
Some suggest that Elvis Presley had the same success with rock and roll that Goodman achieved with jazz and swing. Without Goodman there would not have been a swing era. It is true that many of Goodman's arrangements had been played for years before by Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. While Goodman publicly acknowledged his debt to Henderson, many young white swing fans had never heard Henderson's band. While most consider Goodman a jazz innovator, others maintain his main strength was his perfectionism and drive. Goodman was a non - pariel virtuoso clarinetist and -along with only Artie Shaw, amongst the most technically proficient jazz clarinetists of all time.
Goodman is also responsible for a significant step in racial integration in America. In the early 1930s, black and white jazz musicians could not play together in most clubs or concerts. In the Southern states, racial segregation was enforced by the Jim Crow laws. Benny Goodman broke with tradition by hiring Teddy Wilson to play with him ] in the Autumn of 1936. He then added Lionel Hampton on vibes in December, 1936, and in the early Summer of 1939 he augmented the famous "quartette" with pioneering jazz guitarist Charlie Christian to his band and small ensembles, who played with him until his untimely death from tuberculosis less than three years later. To give an understanding of American history at this time, Goodman's integration of popular music happened ten years before Jackie Robinson entered Major League Baseball. "[Goodman's] popularity was such that he could remain financially viable without touring the South, where he would have been subject to arrest for violating Jim Crow laws." By the mid- Summer of 1941, Benny had hired the incomparably rhythmic and show-man drummer, legendary "Big Sid" Catlett, the (later) famous John Simmons on bass, and still possessed the incomparable Charlie Christian on electric guitar -plus Cootie Williams was in the middle of his one-year contract... This amounted to virtually one-quarter of the orchestra of black heritage, but of course -following Jimmy Munday and Fletcher Henderson (who also joined the band as pianist for 6 months in July, 1939) it was really an orchestrated white extension of black big band jazz -only, curiously -better.
Medley No. 2
Benny Goodman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We looked at each other in the same way then
But I can't remember where or when
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
But I can't remember where or when
Seem to be happening again
And so it seems that we have met before
And laughed before, and loved before
But who knows where or when
The lyrics to Benny Goodman & Peggy Lee's song Where or When tell the story of two people who feel an unexplainable connection to each other, despite not being able to remember when or where they first met. The first verse describes how they seem to have had the same conversation and looked at each other in the same way before, but cannot recall the details. The second verse describes how the clothes and smile of the other person are familiar, but once again, the memory of where or when they have seen them before eludes them.
The lyrics also mention how some things that have happened before seem to be happening again, hinting at the possibility of reincarnation or the idea that two people's destinies are intertwined. The final verse of the song reinforces this theme with the lines "And so it seems that we have met before, and laughed before, and loved before, but who knows where or when?" The lyrics leave the question open-ended, leaving the interpretation to the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems we stood and talked like this before
We've had this exact conversation before.
We looked at each other in the same way then
We had the same look and gaze before.
But I can't remember where or when
I can't recall the exact time or place.
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore
You are dressed the same as you were previously.
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then
Your smile is the same as before.
But I can't remember where or when
I can't remember the specific time or place.
Some things that happened for the first time
Certain events took place for the first time.
Seem to be happening again
It feels like these events are repeating themselves.
And so it seems that we have met before
It appears that we have previously met.
And laughed before, and loved before
We have shared moments of laughter and love before.
But who knows where or when
It's uncertain when and where it occurred.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Soy Detected Opinion Rejected
2:32 - 2:38 gave me chills. Ella killed it
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For heavens sake! if the Americans could make such beautiful television in 1959 why did they bother going to the moon!