Klarinet Archive - Posting 000351.txt from 1996/12

From: Frank Garcia <fgarcia@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Goodman and classical mus
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 03:33:20 -0500

I second what David Hattner said about Benny Goodman. His recordings of
Contrasts and the Mozart Quintet are very good. When I was growing up, the
Goodman recording of the Copland Concerto was the standard. The Nielsen
recording however is truly sad.

I have never heard of Gallodoro. Could you please supply more info on this
person? Thanks.

Frank Garcia
Clarinet Instructor
University of Wisconsin, Superior
fgarcia@-----.edu

>In a message dated 12-11-96 INTERNET: bill.fogle=ASPE wrote to ** ALL **:
> Ib> It's always troubled me, the legend that Benny Goodman couldn't play
> Ib> classical. More to the point, what I have heard are phrases to the
> Ib> effect " The King of Swing" was disappointing in another medium. To
> Ib> Goodman's contemporaries who wrote the reviews, what did this
> Ib> attitude mean? How would Goodman have "warmed up" classical? How does
> Ib> swing music apply to classical? I guess that is why the question, the
> Ib> bad reviews, interest me. Are the Benny Goodman critics saying Draper
> Ib> had "it" and Goodman didn't?
>
> Ib> I have a book of Goodman's music (piano and clarinet parts). When I
> Ib> have worked on the technical bits, the "expression" comes without too
> Ib> much difficulty for me. This is less true in my case for *certain*
> Ib> classical works. Often when playing, I wonder how Goodman--or any
> Ib> professional-- handled playing the different types of music.
> Ib> -----Bill Fogle.
>
>It depends on what you compare Goodman with. By the standards of the 1930s,
>Goodman was an excellent "legit" player. By today's standards, he is still at
>least extrememly competent. I think Goodman's reputation as a classical
>player was done much harm by several recordings he made for RCA in stereo
>later in his career, particularly that Nielsen recording with Gould and the
>CSO, which he should never have released. His early classical recordings are
>finally becoming available again, providing a better perspective.
>
>The COntrasts recording with Bartok and Szigeti is not bad at all,
>considering that no inta-movement splicing was possible. Benny learned and
>performed Contrasts without taking a break from playing 2-3 shows a day with
>his big-band. He practiced it in between sets! THen he took a night off to
>play the premiere at Carnegie Hall. Who else would dare to do that?
>
>Other early classical Goodman is similarly good. The old Mozart Quintet with
>the Budapest Q may not be a first choice today, but compare it with the
>standards of the 1930s clarinet playing and it's pretty impressive. Same goes
>for the Debussy with the NYPO and Barbarolli. Technically, it's cleaner than
>Hamelin's. Later, Kell convinced Benny to play double lip in classical music
>and told him some other things which changed Benny's classical playing (in my
>opinion for the worse). The later recordings which I mentioned at the top
>show a deterioration of the tone and much more air leaking and worse
>intonation than his early classical work.
>
>Remember also that much of what we call 20th century clarinet repertoire
>exists because of Benny. Not one piece I can think of that was written for
>Kell compares with any of half a dozen great works written for Benny (or even
>the Ebony Concerto, which was written for Woody Herman).
>
>There were only a handful of players in NYC early on who played better legit
>than Benny. Legends like Gallodoro (perhaps the most underrated player ever),
>McClane, DeSantis, Brody and a few others. But none of them could do the
>things Benny could do as a jazz player. Brody even played 2nd to Benny on a
>recording of Milhaud's "La Creation" with Bernstein conducting (out of print).
>
>
>As for Draper, he was a wonderfulplayer. But he was no Al Gallodoro and if he
>were around today he would not be a legend, merely a professional. Benny
>deserves respect for what he tried to do. He even practiced the day he died.
>He always sought advice from clarinetists he respected, even if they were
>younger. He heard Marcellus's Mozart recording and called him for lessons etc.
> etc.
>
>In my opinion, we owe Benny a debt that is too big to calculate for
>popularizing the instrument. He had shortcomings as a man, and he wasn't
>perfect as a musician either. But where would we be as clarinetists if he
>hadn't been around?
>
>David Hattner
>clarinetist-at-large, NYC
> -> Alice4Mac 2.5d3 E QWK Eval:04Feb96
>Origin: Hat's Nut House

   
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