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.
Ramona
Benny Goodman Lyrics
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Where the mountains high
Seem to kiss the sky
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
By a babbling brook
Where we'll find a nook
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
The song "Ramona" by Benny Goodman is a love song with a romantic and hopeful tone. The singer daydreams about his lover, Ramona, waiting patiently for him out in the hills where the mountains seem to kiss the sky. The mission bells above are ringing out their song of love, and the singer blesses the day Ramona taught him to care. He promises to always remember the rambling rose Ramona wears in her hair. The singer longs for the moment they'll meet beside the waterfall, but also dreads the dawn when he might awake to find her gone. Still, he needs Ramona to be his own.
The lyrics of this song portray a romantic and nostalgic conception of love, where the lovers are united by their deep feelings for each other despite any obstacle. The setting of the story is in a special place, where the hills and the waterfalls feature prominently to emphasize the beauty and naturalness of their love. The reference to the mission bells in the lyrics also suggests a religious connection, highlighting the sanctity of their commitment. Overall, the song expresses the hopefulness of young love, the melancholy of impending separation and the longing for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I wander out yonder o'er the hills
I am walking over the hills in search of something.
Where the mountains high
The hills are so high that they appear like mountains.
Seem to kiss the sky
The hills appear so high that they are touching the sky.
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
There is someone waiting for me beyond the hills.
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
The person is waiting eagerly for me to arrive.
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
I can hear the church bells ringing for our love.
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
The bells are ringing a love song especially for us.
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
I hold you, touch you tenderly, and thank you for showing me how to love.
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
I will never forget the rose that you always wear in your hair.
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
At the end of the day, I will call out to you, Ramona.
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
We will meet by the waterfall and continue our love story.
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
I fear waking up and realizing that you are not here with me.
Ramona I need you my own
You, Ramona, are the one I need and want as my own.
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
Let's go together over the hills.
By a babbling brook
We will find a brook that is murmuring.
Where we'll find a nook
We will find a hidden and secluded spot.
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
We will create our own intimate and private love space over the hills.
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
You, my beloved, will never leave my heart and we will never be apart.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: L. Wolfe Gilbert, Mabel Wayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fntavora
Mais uma alegre e muito ritmada interpretação deste excelente e inolvidável tema musical!
@Trombonology
I love this swinging treatment. Goodman's band was so terrific at this time; I especially like the McGarity-Cutshall trombone section.
@charlesmiller7283
RAMONA IS ONE OF BENNY GOODMAN'S BEST EFFORTS THANKS TO EDDIE SAUTER
@elinshouse
I like it. Benny Goodman is always good.
@scottyd8900
Incredible....my goodness mr Goodman
@davidfletcher7573
This sounds like the edit produced from multiple takes featured on the Columbia LP "Benny Goodman Plays Eddie Sauter Arrangements." The band had a hell of a time getting this thing recorded, and ultimately was never issued--Benny never approved a take, as there was always a clam or two (I could be wrong here, but I think that's what went down--I'll check the discography). Sauter's charts were real lip-busters for the brass, even with steel-embouchured men like Jimmy Maxwell handling the top.
@JuanCarlos-hv6sd
Genialllll!!!
@manuelarias9998
Anyone knows if this (amazing) playlist is available on Spotify?
@songanddanceman100
I like the alternate take on this Goodman version of this which he probably recorded at the same session. Same arrangement, but as it continues, one of the guy hits a bad note just -@1:59- before the trombone section comes in for their section solo...then someone else hits a bad note and soon the entire band realizes that that take is ruined, but they keep playing in a corny dixieland style just for fun. Finally Goodman cuts it short and they laugh as the guy in the recording booth asks them if they want to hear a playback and everyone hollers "NO!!" Haha!
@callmeBe
What a terrible arrangement! The intro makes no sense and has nothing to do with what happens throughout the work, and the interplay throughout between different instrument groups is elementary and beyond the most predictable, with a lot of holes (lag time) between the sax/brass exchanges (and solo backgrounds). Sauter on his best days was an incredibly unbeatable writer, but definitely wrote a lot of dogs, and this is one of the worst of them. Goodman's group is tight throughout; I just love the blare of the brass section, and the clarinet solo is absolutely blistering. What a great orchestra he had in the early and mid 40's! (Especially when so much talent was sucked up by the war effort). Anyway, and amazing and stellar performance.