At Disneyland – 1961
Benny Goodman
A half-hour television show featuring Goodman in top form with a big band
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The King Of Swing, Benny Goodman was 52 years old when he performed with a big band at Disneyland in 1961.
The swing era may have ended 15 years earlier but Goodman was still very much in prime form or saw no reason to alter or modernize his style.
This television broadcast from Disneyland finds the clarinetist in a very happy mood and playing at his best.
His big band includes such greats as trumpeters Cappy Lewis (who has the solos) and veteran Mannie Klein, pianist Ray Sherman (who is well featured), and drummer Stan Levey.
Also in the orchestra are trumpeters John Audino and George Werth, trombonists Bob Pring (the soloist) and Pete Carpenter, saxophonists Les Robinson, Skeets Herfurt, Bill Usselton, Morey Crawford and Bill Hood, guitarist Tommy Tedesco (a major studio player for decades), and bassist Morty Corb.
The big band romps through stirring versions of “Riding High” and “Stealing Apples,” and plays the ballad “You Turned The Tables On Me” (although one misses Helen Ward who was on the original recording of the latter).
Ignore the silly straw hats during “That’s A Plenty,” an exciting Dixieland version by a septet from the big band; Goodman sounds a bit like Pete Fountain who he actually influenced, and check out Levey’s closing drum break.
Goodman is featured with the rhythm section on a medley that consists of slow versions of “September Song” and “All the Things You Are” along with a cooking “Avalon.”
The set concludes with a jubilant big band version of “Roll ‘Em” and Goodman’s closing theme “Goodbye.”
This is one of the best half-hour films with Benny Goodman that exists; thanks are due Stan Levey’s family for making this available.
-Scott Yanow
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