Benny Goodman - The Benny Goodman Small Bands Collection 1935-45Clarinettist and bandleader Benny Goodman was one of the giants of the swing era, with his orchestra pioneering the genre in the late '30s and riding the big band wave through into the post ear era. However, he also greatly enjoyed playing in more flexible small jazz groups, where his superb technique had more of a chance to shine. This great value 70 track 3 CD set brings together a significant proportion, but excluding vocal performances, of the

It's a thoroughly enjoyable anthology of small band jazz that defies being categorised

Just Like A Dog (Barking Up The Wrong Tree)

curated from the personal archives of the great pianist and composer on the occasion of his centennial birthday celebration

Moody Blues) and the lesser known (Mandy More

which mainly comprised interpretations of well-known standards

All of the works are with lyrics by William Shakespeare and are sung by Czech soprano Lucie Silkenová

and other songs of his were covered by the likes of Lee Dorsey

through to the distinctly Motown influenced Next Door To The Blues we hear just why Etta James is the true embodiment of blues

It features all their country hits as a group

but an anecdotal social commentary on their lives and observations which are the subject of many of the songs

America's Boogie Woogie craze of the late 30's and early 40's was originally in the hands of a few Black pianists before the big bands got a hold of the style and developed it into the biggest music craze the world had then seen

as well as with The Three Suns and The Skytoppers