The King of Swing

By Shriya Baweja

October 12, 1984

Benny Goodman was an eminent clarinetist, bandleader and songwriter who made notable contributions to evolving music in the American society; subsequently becoming a pivotal figure in history or Jazz. He helped usher in the Swing era in the 1930s, which consequently earned him the title of— "The King of Swing."

Shriya: Thank you for being here with us today, Mr. Goodman. It truly is an honour to have you. 

Goodman: Thank you very much. I can't believe people would still want to listen to me talk at 74. 

Shriya: Well, people undeniably continue to crave your harmonious clarinet tunes. Don't you have a few concerts lined up?

Goodman: Oh yes, yes. I head to Tokyo tomorrow. I am quite excited about exploring Japan. 

Shriya: Wow, that truly is incredible. Now, may we talk a little about how it all started?

Goodman: Yes, of course. It has been a while since I have told my story. 

Shriya: So you began playing the clarinet at the age of 11. How did that happen? Were you always keen to play the clarinet?

Goodman: So one morning my father decided to take my brothers and I to the synagogue in the vicinity (in Chicago). I think they were holding free of charge music lessons or something like that. When we landed up there, the teacher decided that I was rather small and handed me a clarinet, whilst my brothers were handed a tuba and a trombone. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little annoyed. But had I made a fuss about it, I wouldn't be where I am today, would I?

Shriya: Absolutely, for today you are credited as one of the most iconic figures in the history of clarinet and Jazz music. So much so, you introduced a new language to it, the Swing. What inspired you to pursue this unconventional style?

Goodman: I'll be honest with you— really, all I wanted to do was convey my passion through my music and playing all that dull music that was existing in the 1900s was not something I enjoyed. In fact, I clearly remember my fellow bandmate, Gene Krupa saying, "If we're gonna die, Benny, let's die playing our own thing." And that was it, we decided that we would deviate from all that boring "music" and make our own. What came as a result was labelled as Swing. 

Shriya: That was quite a bold step. Were you afraid of the reception or contrarily the flack that you could potentially receive?

Goodman: Like I said, we set out on a mission of playing music that we wanted to play. Whether people liked it or not was not the utmost of our concerns. However, we were fortunate enough that our music was widely embraced by the public... at least eventually. 

Shriya: What do you mean when you say "eventually"?

Goodman: Let's put it this way, music concerts in the 1900s were mostly for the posh people in town who could afford to splurge and go sit in a theatre to admire the peaceful melodies played by an orchestra. However, when we first played our unusually upbeat music at the Carnegie Hall in 1938, along with it was coupled cheers, applauds, the snapping of fingers and the most troublesome, care-free dancing. The wealthy were disgusted by this ostensibly "rowdy" music that caused people to break into a jig in public places. It took a while, but people became accustomed to our way of playing, and dancing became a tradition at our concerts. 

Shriya: How fascinating! You were a man that broke down numerous social barriers with your confidence and courage. You also had one of the first racially integrated bands in the history of music. How did that come about?

Goodman: I said it back then, and I'll say it a thousand times if I need to. I was selling music, not prejudice.  I didn't and I still don't care about how a man or a woman looks. As long as they can play the level of mastery I want played in my band, they are in. I worked with many influential men including Charlie Christian and Teddy Wilson. The world should not be denied the talent of individuals based on their race or ethnicity. 

Shriya: I completely agree with you. You were an inspiration to musicians in the early 1900s and you continue to be one today. The finesse in your music is yet to be transcended. Thank you for taking out the time to talk to us.