Another Flashback Friday - Benny Goodman

My last Flash Back Friday post was on the Jefferson Airplane and while I stated it was not chemically induced, many misunderstood this because of the psychedelic genera the band played in.  This flash back takes me further back in time to the music so dear to my father, big band, in particular Benny Goodman, who was constantly playing in the background of my childhood home.  

I started a search on Qobuz but quickly realized to truly go back in time, vinyl was the media of choice.  So I pulled out the record cleaning machine, record cleaner, and my fathers RCA Victoria LPT-6703 “Benny Goodman, The Golden Age of Swing” a limited edition, padded cover book format five LP set with 18 loose leaf bound heavy weight paper pages.   The five LPs cover over 75 songs from the Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra.  Standards covered by Goodman such as Sing Sing Sing and  Let’s Dance are not covered on the more eclectic collection.  

I am sitting in the sweet spot reveling in the mellow, liquid sound of Goodman’s clarinet, the intricate rhythms melded in some way with a Bartokesk  classical/jazz fusion with the brass and keyboards.  Yes, the recording is typical of the era even though RCA used there “new orthophonic” technique to extend frequency and dynamic techniques according to the liner notes.  However, this is a time when my music lover persona prevails over my audiophile persona bring back memories of a much simpler time in my life.  I wish my knees would let me swing again.  

Who else appreciates big band swing and can share favorite recordings or flash back memories induced by big band swing?