Disc One: King Porter Stomp
1. Basin Street Blues
2. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
3. Your Mother’s Son-in-Law
4. Ol’ Pappy
5. Moonglow
6. Nitwit Serenade
7. Bugle Call Rag
8. Music Hall Rag
9. Blue Moon
10. Down Home Rag
11. Japanese Sandman
12. You’re a Heavenly Thing
13. Get Rhythm in Your Feet (and Music in Your Soul)
14. Ballad in Blue
15. Blue Skies
16. Dear Old Southland
17. Sometimes I’m Happy
18. King Porter Stomp
19. (You’ve Got Me in between) The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
20. Madhouse
21. Eeny Meeny Miney Mo
22. When Buddah [sic] Smiles
23. It’s Been So Long
24. Stompin’ at the Savoy
25. Goody-Goody
Disc Two: Don’t Be That Way
1. Christopher Columbus
2. I Know That You Know
3. Stardust
4. You Can’t Pull the Wool over My Eyes
5. The Glory of Love
6. These Foolish Things
7. Swingtime in the Rockies
8. House Hop
9. You Turned the Tables on Me
10. Down South Camp Meeting
11. Love Me or Leave Me
12. Organ Grinder’s Swing
13. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
14. Jam Session
15. Goodnight My Love
16. Smoke Creams
17. He Ain’t Got Rhythm
18. This Year’s Kisses
19. Sing, Sing, Sing
20. Roll ‘Em
21. Peckin’
22. Ridin’ High
23. Life Goes to a Party
24. If Dreams Come True
25. Don’t Be That Way
Disc Three: Let’s Dance
1. One o’ Clock Jump
2. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
3. Big John Special
4. Wrappin’ It Up
5. Bach Goes to Town
6. And the Angles Sing
7. How Your Linen, Miss Richardson
8. There’ll Be Some Changes Made
9. Jumpin’ at the Woodside
10. Stealin’ Apples
11. Night and Day
12. I Thought about You
13. Let’s Dance
14. Darn That Dream
15. Honeysuckle Rose
16. Opus Local
17. Board Meeting
18. Zaggin’ with Zig
19. How High the Moon
20. Shake Down the Stars
21. Yours Is My Heart Alone
22. Cocoanut Grove
23. The Hour of Parting
24. Crazy Rhythm
25. Who Cares
26. Benny Rides Again
Disc Four: Undercurrent Blues
1. Henderson Stomp
2. Taking a Chance on Love
3. Frenesi
4. Superman
5. Let the Door Knob Hitcha
6. Scarecrow
7. Solo Flight
8. Fiesta in Blue
9. Air Mail Special
10. When the Sun Comes Out
11. Tuesday at Ten
12. The Count
13. Pound Ridge
14. The Earl
15. Caprice XXIV Paganini
16. My Old Flame
17. Clarinet a la King
18. Jersey Bounce
19. Idaho
20. Why Don’t You Do Right?
21. Mission to Moscow
22. All the Cats Join In
23. Clarinade
24. Lonely Moments
25. Undercurrent Blues
I always approach cautiously music collections which profess to be “the Best of …” or, as in this case, “the Essential ….” Implicit is the question,
“According to whom?” Here, it is Joop Visser, who has a long list of such compilations of recordings from the swing era, many of them for Proper Records,
as well as an equally long list of liner notes, all of which lend credibility to his “expertise.” However, I’m sure many, like me, will regret the omission
of some title or other.
This is an impressive group of cuts by the Goodman bands, spread over the four CD’s. They follow a chronological order, beginning with a track from the
pre-Goodman-leader days, Basin Street Blues, by the Ben Pollock-led Charleston Chasers, recorded in New York, on Feb.9, 1931. This is the only
track by a band not led by Goodman, the other 100 all being under his aegis. The last track comes from a recording session of Feb. 10, 1949, in Hollywood.
Goodman was something of a child prodigy, becoming a professional musician at the age of thirteen. As well as being precocious, he was somewhat
temperamental and did not enjoy the role of sideman. After flitting in and out of several bands and taking on studio work to make ends meet, he finally got
an opportunity to form his own band in 1934 when he was twenty-five. Between 1934 and 1949, a procession of soon-to-be giants of the swing era passed
through his ranks, including Gene Krupa, Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Bunny Berigan, Teddy Wilson, Jess Stacy—one could go on and on. Many of them, of course,
went on to form their own bands after building something of a reputation with Goodman. The same could be said of singers. At one time or another Mildred
Bailey, Helen Ward, Helen Forrest, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald all sang with Goodman bands. All are to be heard on this CD set. Goodman was also blessed
with fine arrangers, three of them being Fletcher Henderson, Mel Powell, and Eddie Sauter. Thanks in large part to their arranging talents, as well as
those of the musicians themselves, the band swung mightily so that by 1940 Goodman was securely on the throne as the King of Swing.
Lacking in this 4-CD set are any performances from the Carnegie Hall Concert of Jan. 16, 1938, where the Goodman band was approaching its peak. (These
however, have been issued in a two-CD set that is still, as far as I am aware, available.)
Also missing from this compilation are any performances by the Goodman trios or quartets. Certainly for me these form part of what I would consider
“essential” Goodman, but the title of the set, it must be conceded, is “Benny Goodman and his orchestra.” Perhaps Proper Records has it in mind to
produce separately a set of these small group performances. One can hope. It would be good to have in one place most, if not all, of these classic
recordings.
In his 60-odd page booklet, Visser provides a brief biography, numerous photographs, and thorough, detailed analyses of the performances on the four discs,
including identifications of the soloists. He also appends a full discography.
It is difficult to know to whom this set will most appeal. Goodman fans will probably have many if not most of the recordings here included, but those who
do not—and those who are new to Goodman—will want to get it. Coupled with the excellent liner note booklet and the very reasonable price, it is an
attractive offering to add to a collection, whether one is a seasoned collector or a tyro.
Bert Thompson
CD Reviews
PROPER RECORDS 
