> Jim, I don't think you were overstating the case of Goodman's cover at
all. Of the 284,360 renditions of BSN I have, Benny's is my favorite (even
bettter than Jim Nabors :~) ) I know I mentioned this last week, but
Goodman and his band will live on forever. >
Hey, Jimmy,
They sure will live on forvever. And Benny will always be remembered for
other things besides his joyful, revolutionary (for its time) music, too,
like being the first white swing band leader to break the color barrier by
hiring the phenomenal Lionel Hampton and the young Billie Holiday. He didn't
do this to make a statement. He did it simply because he wanted to
collaborate with them.
> Maybe you're right! Joni was inspired to use his name in Hejira after
hearing him play BSN, but I think she must have always thought he was one
of the best clarinetists of the century. >
An amazing musician. I've always loved the line in Hejira - it adds so much
to the imagery of her surroundings in the song - and I like the way she
changes it in live performance to honor the soloist she's playing with at
the moment, for example the namecheck of Michael Brecker on Shadows And
Light.
Great to hear from you, Jimmy. We Goodman fans need to continue to "Sing,
Sing, Sing" (moderately obscure Goodman reference) his praises. :-)
Jim
