Boston Globe Jazz Festival; 1; Benny Goodman

The following program is produced by WGBH Boston for the public radio cooperative and is made possible with funds provided by public radio listeners and a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation from Symphony Hall in Boston. The 1980 Boston Globe Jazz Festival. Good evening and welcome to this live opening night performance of the 1980 Boston Globe Jazz Festival arm Ron Della Keyes and with me this evening is jazz educator and critic Tony Chu Nama on tonight's opening night concert Tony we have quite a lineup as you said the kingdom of swing is upon us Benny Goodman and a female vocal group called wrist silk. We've got a packed house here for the night. The Boston Globe Jazz Festival and I might add it's a wonderful night here in Boston as we've had terrific weather and people who have been moving into the hall for the last oh 20 minutes or so since Benny got off. He was rehearsing till the very last minute with this wonderful group called Rare silk a throwback to I might add to a trio of women sisters that Jovan outi started out many years ago The Andrew Sisters

in groups like the Boswell sisters or so. They Pointer Sisters also carry a lot of that tradition so we've got a good night. Also I am so thrilled I didn't realize until we got in tonight that along with Benny is guitarist every Joanne and pianist Diana HA's and John Mark on drums and Shelley Mann is really high and jolly and talked. At length about his ability to swing and bassist Aladin. Ernest Figaro is on trumpet and my idol I might say trombone player but wooden and the great Duke Ellington band of the late 40s and 50s and recently with the to Chic walk Yoshi big band this man goes to play some of the greatest trouble in the world. I know you're partial to trombone players you play little trombone yourself very little. Very Tony I had that you mention the group ricin and I was watching the hearse with you backstage I had this strange feeling of deja vu that there was sort of reminded me of The Andrew Sisters kind of reincarnated and they look good too you know lot of spirit.

Well it's fascinating that we've had this renaissance in jazz in the past decade in the 70s. And it's picked up with the young people and these young ladies are young ladies and they are dressing like my mother and and some girlfriends I had back in the fleet forties and it's really refreshing to see going to hear them play this musical swing rather than some of the contemporary things that that young people have as far as taste of their father's will which I was chatting with before their fathers all played with big band so they grew up surrounded by the Miller records and the goodman records being played at home and I think they they carried that were long with him in there and the things they're doing now. Tony Benny Goodman when you talk about good when you're talking about a whole era in American music fashion you're known as the swinger or the Big Band Era and Benny of course is one of the foremost names in that that. Exciting period American music. Well Benny was responsible I think for the promotion of swing although the first time that that term was ever used was by the great genius of American music Duke Ellington in one thousand

thirty two he wrote. It Don't Mean a Thing if ain't got that swing. Pardon the alliteration. Then in about 1935 when he was working with Gene Krupa. Cooper used the adjective again to define the music he said so and so doesn't swing. And the name kind of stuck with Benny. It was in 1935 by the way that that his historic go to or through the United States. For the Benny Goodman band that the John Hammond helped put together was a disaster. And every everywhere they went the audiences want to hear that syrupy swing music to dance to. And Benny of course could not take in he was a man of musical integrity and wanted to play that hot book that he had put together. It was until he got to Oakland. Where this tremendous crowd greeted him. He didn't know where the enthusiasm came from or who they were why they were there but nonetheless they played and then went on to Hollywood to the famous Palladium and did a broadcast coast to coast and that's what's really sparked the beginning of the popular swing era. Although we know

bands like Benny Carter and Don Redman with the McKinney cotton pickers and of course the touch Henderson band had pioneered this music for years before as a matter of fact when Louis Armstrong's with Fletcher Henderson they were playing this musical swinging back in one thousand twenty four 25 26 27. Those post-broadcast had so much to do with popularizing. The music of the swinger because once a band hooked onto one of those weekly broadcast with a sponsor in a regular series it gave audiences coast to coast like we're on Coast to Coast on this broadcast. To hear a band here it sort of emanating from a live situation it sort of captured the feeling and excitement that was happening at that time. Right. Well I think I think media plays a large part in any promotion of any kind of music and it's sort of a look what it did for rock n roll when Elvis Presley went on The Ed Sullivan Show and the Jackie Gleason show. It overnight made him a star in that music. That had been around for a while the form of rhythm and blues with a black performance and then

became. A national institution. Would you say the turning point really was that historic night in Carnegie Hall in 1938 when Benny put on that great concert in Jeanne Cooper and Harry James and Teddy Wilson were part of that of course has been recorded in reaction continues to be one of the best selling. Jazz albums of all time isn't it. Yeah I think that's probably the apex of this when you're at the height of it. Again musical integrity on that concert was far above anything it had ever been aired all recorded and over gay did have a lot of members of the basi ban on that show that stopped and stopped the show too. It's interesting tonight Tony and in the city of Boston we're in Symphony Hall just within a mile of where we are now are two of Benny's great colleagues playing other engagements. Teddy Wilson is playing solo piano one of them in a local hotel and Harry James is in a show called The Big Broadcast of 1944 both of those musicians Harry and Teddy were present that night at the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert so they still remain good friends and I don't

want to sound like a real smarty but when you. Have some dates I'm with righteous if I think it's kind of amazing Danny of course was born in Chicago in 1909 with this one thousand nine hundred nineteen you know. How will that make a Benny Goodman. He's 71 years of 71 he doesn't look at you you will not believe it to hear him play the clarinet and. He of course play with that famous Austin High School band Gene Krupa. Instead I was we were doing a show the other day about Broadway and got to talking about Ethel Merman and a show called Girl Crazy 1931 and you know who was in the pit. Yes you guessed it Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman were in the pit orchestra. At the sugar theater in what a pip and I was a while back. Only the. New York City. Then became the Mecca and about 30. Could. Bring out of those has musicians. Then he went to New York at about 18 28 with a ben Pollux band. Out of the Midwest the Midwest by the way that was really the birthplace of the big bands a

southwestern Kansas City and of course the jazz styles in Chicago were Benny Goodman. For people like Johnny and Edwin Hall and some of those Frank check mark and some of his early influences and from Chicago. Finally. To New York. New York it was then became the recording center of the Radio Network Center as you pointed out. So important to the development of swing the swinger. Iran delegates and Tony Gennaro here in Symphony Hall Boston were awaiting the arrival on stage of George Wein the producer of The Boston Globe Jazz Festival who's going to be introducing a Benny in the members of his sextet and also the. Jazz trio rare silk as I mentioned we've talking before Tony is a group from Boulder Colorado. They were waitresses before they became singers. They dads were veterans of the big band era and Mary Lynn Gillespie and Gil Gillespie assist isn't a moderate a gentleman studies the only one that studied music formally but they were captivated by the music they heard at home the

dad was playing the dad were playing. So they decided to form a group about a year and a half ago. Benny was out in Boulder Colorado we heard the group and say hey why don't you come out with me on tour so here they are in Symphony Hall in Boston today they're excited about it and we had by the way Rod and I had the pleasure of listening to the rehearsal earlier this evening for about seven o'clock I think you're all in for a rare treat wherever you would be able to be Melissa's broadcasts. Not only is he a septet hot as they say in jazz lingo but the trio is going to astound you with their versions of some of the great swing tunes that the Beni made popular. Speaking of singers by the way later on during the festival we'll be doing a special project here in Boston with local singers. Thanks tribute to Billie Holiday and Billie Holiday of course a recording with Benny one of the one of the first recordings with Benny Goodman. Again it was on. And Presario John Hammond who arranged. For instance for the count basi band to be recorded and come to New York for Benny Goodman to come to New York for a Billie Holiday Holiday to come to New York. John Hammond wherever he is now he's listening to this broadcast in its highest accolades

from this corner. He is the the pioneer the promoter that put all these people together. I'm not taking anything away from my wife. My boss and co-producer George Wein. George of course has done his share to present lots of great jazz as he does for the Newport Jazz Festival the Walloons Jazz Festival. Fest with all of the women of course here in Boston. And I see now the doors opening and George Wein is coming on stage to get this ninth annual Boston Globe jazz festival under way here's George Wayne. Thanks. Well good evening ladies and gentleman and welcome to what I think is the ninth Boston Globe Jazz Festival. And it's nice to be here as always. And it's quite an occasion to come back here every year to. What is the town that will always be my home town. And to know that we can do 10 days I guess that is nine days of jazz in the month of March

when the Boston Globe and I got together to do this festival. Nobody believed we could do so many days of jazz in the month of March especially in Lent you know and all those things up here in New England you say. And what happens is that this year if you go into any other concerts you don't have the tickets you better get them because they look like they're all going to be sold out just about everyone. So that's an amazing thing. And I want to thank every one of you that lovers of jazz because Boston has one of the greatest jazz publics in the world and it's nice to have that feeling. We're going to be starting in just a minute the globe. We're very grateful to the globe for giving us the opportunity to put on this festival and we want to thank you all. Starting in just a minute of course with the great Benny Goodman. So just wait just one more one. Thank you. Thank you. All right Tony that was

George Wayne coming out on stage. George of course is that the producer of The Boston Globe jazz specimens you heard him mention and we mention too this is the ninth annual Jazz Festival held in Boston in conjunction with The Boston Globe. Tony many festivals have been held in this country of course George Wein was the founder of the the daddy of them all the Newport Jazz Festival I was there for the second we were there for the first time. Yeah I was in there for the first one. We flew from the Midwest to the SAC base and their plane landed at Mitchell Air Force Base then drove up to Newport. It was a wonderful festival with the outdoor festival is. The thing that George was noted for a dozen at least. He does it in New Orleans and he does it unfortunately can't do it here in Boston because you never know when the weather's going to turn on us but we've been lucky this this past year this past winter and we hope that it continues through the rest of the Boston Globe jest also that we have nice weather and people will be out here in Boston in mass during our intermission.

Maggie O'Brien will be talking to George Wein in a pre-taped conversation and George will be expanding a bit more on his great interest in love for jazz. And we also have another special Late Edition feature with a pre-taped feature a profile of the King of Swing Benny Goodman prepared by Greg Fitzgerald. You know we talk about this audience here tonight and you. Have. Sold out house. And you wonder what kind of an audience it is that the nigger minute age 71 with a septet of great veterans draws well to it's a cross-section of the demographics are a bit high but there are lots of young people out here. Who as I said before. Like the old jazz like the music of the late 30s and 40s and all kinds of swing dance clubs as you know are. Blossoming all around the Boston area a lot. Quite sure what it is like in New York and other places where young people are dancing to swing again. I think I may be giving up the disco goes to me when I come back to some of the good old songs but the audience here tonight is I have a daughter here who's in

her early 20s and. Couple of grandparents or two so we get the scanning the scanning the age limit from 20s to 60s and 71 for Benny Goodman. And I'm sure that's the way it is in India in many places across the country Tony who tuned in tonight listening to us from Symphony Hall coast to coast. I'm sure that we have young listeners maybe going to discover Benny for the first time and what a rare treat that is. Let me tell you what they did in the old days when Benny Goodman. Played over the networks. They danced in the living room they roll back the rugs you know that expression and people dance in their homes cut a rug. We get a Jitterbug. We do that by the way out there don't don't hesitate. Roll back the rug if you're listening to us here at. City hall especially Betty. It's not unusual to have it with the disco craze from sweeping America go into a disco remember that once I went in and I heard one of Benny's records I heard let's dance. So Benny's is being played everywhere and continues to be played not only in this

country but the wonderful voice of America program by Willis Conover Willis frequently includes records by Benny Goodman on his program and of course that that program has an audience the largest radio audience of any other program broadcast in the world I believe. Oh yes more people know in the world of Willis Conover is there any man and in the world he's known in behind the Iron Curtain and very often his wife Carol. Conover. Comes to us with tales of people showing up at their house because they feel they feel that. Because I was a such a GREAT FRIENDS hearing them on the radio of course they don't know who they are. Just. Landed Logan Airport Idlewild or whatever and you can. Bang on account of that. Here we are we're in from Jack as the lock your pole and we'll as we listen to your program. It's happened to both Shirley and Willis. And by the way that's how well-known he is. And you're right he has. A lot of. Swing music. He's a lot of the Evan Garvey every form of. American music.

Well when you're going to be out here a momentarily at the symphony hall here in Boston Tony this is a great historic callers you know this hall as. It was opened I believe in 1900 and it is well known for its. Marvelous acoustics it's considered one of the most acoustically protocols in the world and I can remember as a youngster coming here not only hearing some of the great. Orchestras around Boston Symphony and visiting orchestras and great singers Luciano Pavarotti was here recently the great tenor but also some wonderful jazz performers came here as part of the jazz of the film on a tour as I remember Benny had his reunion band a year back about 25 years ago do you remember those. Yes the very Goodman band about that 20 25 years ago. I had some of the really great players Bill Bennett is consistent. He's had great players from the you know that wonderful early band with Gene Krupa and Alvin and Harry James etc etc. but in the 50's consistently good bands with people like Marky Mark with

sort of between later on with Phil Woods and Bob Brook Myron's it seems that. Of course the the big band there is beyond us and Benny is now exclusively working with small groups of. Four or five or six people as he will be working with snipy a septet tonight to. Get a bunch of veterans but it's a. Pleasure to. Hear them as we did rehearsals. I. Want to say again especially looking forward to hearing Brit wouldn't. Wait here so his Rosado Zinn's and his wonderful play reminiscent of his days with the Duke Ellington band. We've been looking forward to this event for a long time because this is the first time that we've ever had the opportunity to bring you a live jazz performance as it happening on our satellite and the other day I was talking with Tony we're trying to figure out to do a name for a satellite. We could call it swinging on a star. Because it's up there and it's a it's a making it possible making making this broadcast possible is a little satellite that's revolving around. The reception is tremendously improved by the satellite Tony as you know it's like

listening to stereo records in your home. We've. Had a WB You are in day to GBH to and it is amazing the response we're special in this hi fi and stereo buffs. Tony Benny's musical intent intellect encompasses not only the jazz world but he is a well-known. Classical clearness and he's made recordings of the Mozart Clara Concerto with our own orchestra here in Boston and also the Copeland clarinet concerto. But he's an extremely skilled musician. He's a he's a perfectionist isn't it. Oh yes he's a very demanding. Orchestra leader. When you play with Benny you have to. Come prepared to really play anything he's put in front of. Musicians have. For years told stories of. Bennigan's use discipline and sternness sometimes especially in on stage in in in the in the music he demands of

professionalism. From all of the fellow go in contact with. Benny Goodman stories are legit I think the acceptance coming out. During a very goodly concert tonight with. Johnny Markham on his album base and figure on trouble. When I'm from bone garden piano I join on the guitar and wrestle. You know George when you get used to it you I really can't think of a better way to start a festival than with the king of swing himself ladies and gentleman Benny Goodman out of a. We. Mean.

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two. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. It's really a great pleasure to be here. I have so many fond memories of Boston and surrounding territory. I'm at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. And Durgan parks is that name. OK good. And. Well it's just nice to be here. And as soon as I remember the boys names I'll tell you who they are. Yeah there's a lovely song.

I got a. Call of an opera. I felt a huge you hear Come said Raby day. My prompter will be always. You're.

Thank you. Or two.

I. Really I want to tell you about these musicians because I think they're really super Don hollers at the piano or to Mr. Duran at the SEC. I think you're talking about there. Are two. Ways to bleed ski at the base of my live. For two. On an old friend of my job market at the drug store. For I do a little secret

they all flew in from San Francisco through that there are always a tough. Jewel like you. You. Watch. Them.