Benny Goodman Blindfold Test [transcript]

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:07:21 Leonard Feather: That’s all right.

00:00:07:23 - 00:00:10:05 Benny Goodman: But what, am I supposed to just talk about it?

00:00:10:08 - 00:00:11:16 Leonard Feather: Just talk to me for.

00:00:11:18 - 00:00:21:00 Benny Goodman: Oh, I see. I think it’s less broad, isn’t it? I, I thought you thought I was going to say.

00:00:21:02 - 00:00:25:23 Leonard Feather: I didn’t say anything. I’m really grateful to you for.

00:00:25:25 - 00:00:32:13 Benny Goodman: All right. I’ve heard the racket on the air. very nice racket. That’s good to hear.

00:00:32:15 - 00:00:33:28 Leonard Feather: Like, I was on.

00:00:34:00 - 00:00:48:26 Benny Goodman: Particularly on the other place. Very good. Yeah, all the stuff was pretty nice, and I was like, different style of 1:00 job, isn’t it? Yeah, to me, it is, as always. that’s a little different, you know, than the original. Yeah. Strange. I don’t know why.

00:00:48:29 - 00:00:51:26 Leonard Feather: I didn’t get to it.

00:00:51:29 - 00:00:55:24 Benny Goodman: yes, I think so. In a way. That’s,

00:00:55:26 - 00:00:58:05 Leonard Feather: yeah. Well, I don’t know the others, but.

00:00:58:07 - 00:01:05:19 Benny Goodman: Now I’m just curious, though, cause I guess it does. Yeah, it’s a little different style. And, so it’s pretty good.

00:01:05:22 - 00:01:07:26 Leonard Feather: Right. You’re right.

00:01:07:29 - 00:01:12:21 Benny Goodman: Good arrangement is. Well, that’s a good rendition of that.

00:01:12:24 - 00:01:16:11 Leonard Feather: you know, I found out really well.

00:01:16:14 - 00:01:31:07 Benny Goodman: Yeah, I oh, oh, la la la. well, I don’t know. All the players know. That’s what I said was on trombone, isn’t it? And the, Hello, player. I can’t think of his name. What’s his name again?

00:01:33:06 - 00:01:35:27 Benny Goodman: Yeah. He’s excellent. Back him. He’s a very good player.

00:01:35:27 - 00:01:37:23 Leonard Feather: At the time.

00:01:37:25 - 00:01:41:09 Benny Goodman: Yeah, that’s a good tennis player. Yeah.

00:01:41:11 - 00:01:48:08 Leonard Feather: Okay. I worked out of five stars. Maximum five is sensational. Four is very good. Two. Three is good to us.

00:01:48:08 - 00:01:53:14 Leonard Feather: Very one. Lousy.

00:01:53:16 - 00:02:07:28 Benny Goodman: I think that’s pretty good. That’s a good racket. Yeah, I think three stars. Yeah, yeah, I just curious.

00:02:08:01 - 00:02:13:04 Leonard Feather: Yeah.

00:02:13:06 - 00:02:15:02 Benny Goodman: The new record.

00:02:15:04 - 00:02:16:08 Leonard Feather: Anyway.

00:02:16:11 - 00:02:20:18 Benny Goodman: I hear you, technically. Oh, I don’t know what I did. I can only guess.

00:02:28:05 - 00:02:44:27 Benny Goodman: Would you? That might be. I’m sure. And your father playing guitar. Very well. I guess it is 12, although not too sure. Maybe his group.

00:02:45:00 - 00:03:00:26 Benny Goodman: The who would be playing piano? That, might be a heck hedgehog. if it were a group, I don’t know. Yeah. or it’s got a nice mood music.

00:03:00:28 - 00:03:06:13 Benny Goodman: You know, mood music.

00:03:06:15 - 00:03:10:23 Benny Goodman: that’s about all,

00:03:10:26 - 00:03:18:07 Benny Goodman: The bass. So, I mean, I don’t think it’s one of the best records by any means. Yeah.

00:03:18:09 - 00:03:19:29 Leonard Feather: how would you rate it?

00:03:20:02 - 00:03:33:01 Benny Goodman: Well, I don’t, I think it’s just fair. overall record as an overall record. Just fair. Is it out here?

00:03:33:03 - 00:03:34:25 Leonard Feather: You know, what is your opinion about it?

00:03:34:26 - 00:03:38:27 Benny Goodman: I haven’t any slides. I have any, you know, that is. Well, I.

00:03:39:00 - 00:03:49:15 Leonard Feather: Have. Just, you just say, it’s your area.

00:03:49:17 - 00:03:56:23 Benny Goodman: On the other hand, I don’t think it’s good to talk about. Well, who is it? I don’t know who it is. I think it stinks.

00:03:56:26 - 00:03:57:29 Leonard Feather: all right.

00:03:58:02 - 00:04:14:03 Benny Goodman: Well, I don’t think that’s fair, but, who is it? All right, well, I’ll tell you what. You know, I don’t think it’s fair. I think they made a bad record. Let him go. you know, I think that. Forget about. don’t tell me it’s got busy.

00:04:14:06 - 00:04:18:15 Leonard Feather: I don’t know what it was. was that like.

00:04:18:18 - 00:04:27:19 Benny Goodman: Oh, I like it. Well, it is a bad technical recording, I think. And I don’t know who the band is.

00:04:27:21 - 00:04:31:21 Leonard Feather: Well, you know what? The committee’s that one.

00:04:31:23 - 00:04:37:24 Benny Goodman: Well, I’ve got anything to say. Anything about it? I don’t think it’s good. I don’t think it’s very good.

00:04:37:27 - 00:04:43:28 Benny Goodman: Well, I just don’t. Well, that doesn’t doesn’t sound like the busy man I heard.

00:04:44:04 - 00:04:45:01 Leonard Feather: Yeah.

00:04:45:04 - 00:05:05:02 Benny Goodman: must be something wrong with something someplace. Because it isn’t the type of thing I heard him play. And, it doesn’t sound the way the band plays. Yeah, right. so I think it’s unfortunate that, that’s got a record that doesn’t do any justice to the band whatsoever.

00:05:05:07 - 00:05:08:12 Leonard Feather: Yeah, I know we can give you our opinion of the band. You know?

00:05:08:19 - 00:05:16:19 Benny Goodman: I know it’s a great band, so I can’t. I can’t go by that record. Yeah, well. Well, I think that’s fair. Yeah.

00:05:16:21 - 00:05:18:23 Leonard Feather: I think.

00:05:18:25 - 00:05:32:23 Benny Goodman: that’s a nice. Well, that’s a nice record. sounds like Lee Cole. It’s. But then again, I may be wrong, but, it’s a nice arrangement, and, nice solos and very nice. Very good.

00:05:32:25 - 00:05:34:21 Leonard Feather: How are you at it?

00:05:34:23 - 00:05:43:04 Benny Goodman: That’s very good, very good, very good for us. Well, I think so. that’s a nice, nice. Very good. There.

00:05:49:06 - 00:06:01:06 Benny Goodman: That. I don’t know who the who that band is. It starts off pretty nice. I think it gets kind of, lost last couple of choruses. And, I have the slightest idea.

00:06:01:08 - 00:06:03:15 Leonard Feather: That they are going to.

00:06:03:18 - 00:06:11:22 Benny Goodman: Hear some of this over the first trumpet, so it was pretty good. Yeah, I got a good kind of, it’s kind of shaky in spots there.

00:06:11:24 - 00:06:12:28 Leonard Feather: Yeah.

00:06:13:00 - 00:06:27:10 Benny Goodman: To me. Anyway, the trombone player. So it’s kind of amusing. I personally. Yeah. Like to market is that when he’s playing, like, like he.

00:06:27:12 - 00:06:29:27 Leonard Feather: how would you rate.

00:06:29:29 - 00:06:41:29 Benny Goodman: Oh, this is fair, too. Yeah. Okay. who is it? That’s funny.

00:06:42:01 - 00:07:02:26 Benny Goodman: Well, I like that. Could be Lionel Hampton on the for us and buddy DeFranco. That’s the only two people I hardly recognize. And, I don’t think it’s, that’s up to this stuff by any means. I don’t think I ever played much better than that.

00:07:02:28 - 00:07:05:00 Leonard Feather: I don’t think it’s for.

00:07:05:03 - 00:07:16:18 Benny Goodman: No, I don’t think for that tune. I don’t like that kind of, I don’t like that particular,

00:07:16:20 - 00:07:22:01 Benny Goodman: Version arrangement. No, I don’t think so.

00:07:22:04 - 00:07:23:22 Leonard Feather: I don’t do know. What about piano?

00:07:23:24 - 00:07:25:03 Benny Goodman: I don’t know who that is.

00:07:25:06 - 00:07:26:24 Leonard Feather: I, I mean, I do like a.

00:07:26:27 - 00:07:33:22 Benny Goodman: Fair that who’s ever played. I didn’t think I was too good with that. Peterson went around.

00:07:33:24 - 00:07:34:08 Leonard Feather: For a year.

00:07:34:08 - 00:07:38:27 Benny Goodman: Or two. So yeah, I think that’s a very good thing.

00:07:38:29 - 00:07:45:18 Leonard Feather: Oh, yeah.

00:07:45:20 - 00:08:12:26 Benny Goodman: Well, well, that’s Duke Ellington. And, I must say, he’s not one of my favorite records in his at all. I still think it’s a pretty good tune. Or maybe I’m wrong about that, but. But, but I did like, the clarinet player. That’s. He’s good. That kid is awful good, Jimmy, isn’t it? Jimmy Harrison? No. Jimmy Hamilton of good, baritone was good.

00:08:12:29 - 00:08:23:06 Benny Goodman: the tenor player. or the two tenor players? Oh, one. Just one or the two? two tenor. We were listening in spots, you.

00:08:23:09 - 00:08:24:14 Leonard Feather: Know, I think it was oh one.

00:08:24:17 - 00:08:30:03 Benny Goodman:

1. Yeah, well. Good night. Good night. Over here.

00:08:30:06 - 00:08:32:13 Leonard Feather: Night.

00:08:32:16 - 00:08:39:11 Benny Goodman: yeah, I don’t see I don’t, I don’t like Duke playing this kind of stuff, but I have a great favorite. he’s very favorite of mine.

00:08:39:13 - 00:08:43:09 Leonard Feather: Yeah, because.

00:08:43:12 - 00:08:51:13 Benny Goodman: I must say that I think a lot of this is due to the recording, too. It must be. His play is bleakness. Hell, isn’t it?

00:08:51:16 - 00:08:56:02 Leonard Feather: How about the arrangement?

00:08:56:05 - 00:08:59:29 Leonard Feather: the recording doesn’t, change direction.

00:09:00:03 - 00:09:01:13 Benny Goodman: I don’t know who made the arrangement.

00:09:01:13 - 00:09:03:03 Leonard Feather: But we can tell you one answer.

00:09:03:06 - 00:09:04:03 Benny Goodman: okay.

00:09:04:05 - 00:09:06:01 Leonard Feather: How many styles did you give at once?

00:09:06:04 - 00:09:07:13 Benny Goodman: Well, I don’t like to say it.

00:09:07:13 - 00:09:13:27 Leonard Feather: You know, because that’s one stuff I.

00:09:20:08 - 00:09:33:08 Benny Goodman: That’s buddy DeFranco, I gather. And, it’s kind of a nice, nice arrangement. Thanks to him. Very nicely playing.

00:09:33:10 - 00:09:36:19 Leonard Feather: That old comic. Yeah.

00:09:36:22 - 00:09:41:01 Benny Goodman: yes. Really? yeah.

00:09:41:03 - 00:09:44:26 Leonard Feather: How do you rate them?

00:09:44:28 - 00:09:46:00 Leonard Feather: Pretty good.

00:09:46:02 - 00:09:57:23 Benny Goodman: I think. It’s, It’s good. Yeah. It’s good. Good. Yeah. I see, it’s funny. You know, you, this is outside of this kind of conversation. you know how uneven it is or not, but does that make any difference to you?

00:09:57:24 - 00:09:59:26 Leonard Feather: And what’s on the register?

00:09:59:29 - 00:10:06:27 Benny Goodman: I don’t know if that’s. You know, according to the, Yeah. you know, this or not.

00:10:06:29 - 00:10:07:27 Leonard Feather: That on the Coney Island.

00:10:07:28 - 00:10:11:23 Benny Goodman: I was I was curious what the hell it is. I was just one of the things. Give it a whirl.

00:10:11:26 - 00:10:13:28 Leonard Feather: It could be the, the pick up. Oh, my.

00:10:13:29 - 00:10:17:20 Benny Goodman: Goodness. Yeah, I don’t know. I know some of you here, too. Don’t you hear it?

00:10:17:21 - 00:10:22:07 Leonard Feather: Yeah, I think I know what you mean. Yeah, I know there was no too much swell up some of the up there.

00:10:22:07 - 00:10:38:02 Benny Goodman: One of those days where you just couldn’t get his way in front and put it all together. So I thought, you know, from a point of, no, that’s got nothing to do with the record. You know, the guy that’s already taken over. I just want to know what the.

00:10:38:04 - 00:10:43:18 Benny Goodman: Looks like. It could make any difference anyway. I don’t know. I mean, for us.

00:10:43:20 - 00:10:49:05 Leonard Feather: I suppose this was the reason for that. I just.

00:11:19:16 - 00:11:43:09 Benny Goodman: I should know this. I don’t know who it is, I think guess the composer. And it’s a jazz group playing it. Yeah. And, that’s all right. We’re having fun. But, I think it was a commercial record. I don’t like to mellow, isn’t it? Or not? Well, I get.

00:11:43:12 - 00:11:46:07 Leonard Feather: It directly right.

00:11:46:10 - 00:11:56:01 Benny Goodman: I don’t know. Could be somebody copying that style. I really don’t know what it is, but I know it’s a jazz group playing. It sounds like a little bit like mellow y.

00:11:56:06 - 00:11:58:16 Leonard Feather: Yeah, yeah.

00:11:58:18 - 00:12:07:29 Benny Goodman: There there there there there there. because I know it sounds a little bit like Chicago by Mellow from Rondo.

00:12:08:02 - 00:12:10:16 Leonard Feather: Who would tell you where to go.

00:12:10:18 - 00:12:12:02 Benny Goodman: And sure, I think.

00:12:12:04 - 00:12:12:21 Leonard Feather: That’s kind of.

00:12:12:21 - 00:12:17:02 Benny Goodman: A adventure. Yeah, I think that’s right. Sir, could.

00:12:17:02 - 00:12:19:16 Leonard Feather: You give me a rating?

00:12:19:19 - 00:12:22:13 Benny Goodman: well, I don’t think it should be given already.

00:12:22:13 - 00:12:30:25 Leonard Feather: How do you what? How about the performance as opposed to the writing?

00:12:30:28 - 00:12:35:16 Benny Goodman: well, of the performances in first class? No. Yeah. writing music.

00:12:35:18 - 00:12:47:01 Leonard Feather: Would you give it more stars for the performance than you do for the compositional vice versa? Rather. Well, you could write it two different ways if you want it.

00:12:47:03 - 00:12:55:06 Benny Goodman: Well, I don’t think it’s very good. I don’t know, I think it’s I think it’s that I. I don’t think it should be. I don’t think it’s I think that’s kind of a thing you ought to be doing with your group.

00:12:55:12 - 00:12:56:19 Leonard Feather: Yeah. For. Right.

00:12:56:26 - 00:12:57:29 Benny Goodman: I don’t think it should be put on.

00:12:57:29 - 00:12:59:25 Leonard Feather: And,

00:12:59:27 - 00:13:04:02 Benny Goodman: on a commercial record, on the other hand, I won’t criticize it because of these, but it never.

00:13:04:07 - 00:13:06:06 Leonard Feather: Yeah, I see what I mean.

00:13:06:08 - 00:13:10:21 Benny Goodman: if you’re going to compete with, the Boston Orchestra, then that’s bad.

00:13:10:24 - 00:13:11:13 Leonard Feather: Yeah.

00:13:11:16 - 00:13:23:19 Benny Goodman: Sure couldn’t come to that at all. How are you going to compete to, first class musicians, classical musicians, longhaired musicians playing first class?

00:13:23:21 - 00:13:41:17 Leonard Feather: Yeah. let’s stuff. Yeah. Well, overall, afterthoughts. If you’ve got any particular record, you want to get five stars. If I play them, lots of us. you know. You heard lately or any time for it.

00:13:41:18 - 00:13:42:27 Benny Goodman: Yeah. Yeah.

00:13:42:29 - 00:13:45:04 Leonard Feather: Yeah. Or any other fields.

00:13:45:06 - 00:13:49:25 Benny Goodman: Well, I think ABC bad if I heard they’re recorded the way they’re supposed to be. They got a sound. Great.

00:13:49:25 - 00:13:50:05 Leonard Feather: Yeah.

00:13:50:11 - 00:14:07:20 Benny Goodman: That’s right. They have to sound great. something Peterson’s records. I certainly like the small part. They’re very, you know, they’re terrific. Great. Yeah. And, I don’t know if I heard anything too much recently.

00:14:07:22 - 00:14:13:00 Leonard Feather: they they’re not famous. How about big band?

00:14:13:03 - 00:14:33:28 Benny Goodman: Well, I think, I think a record that I thought was wonderful. I mean, I thought it was wonderful. It was Ted Heath, Palladium records. Yeah, I thought they were terrific records. Yeah. God damn, I thought they were wonderful records with the band. Sounds like that. That’s a hell of a band. I thought that was one of the best years records.

00:14:33:28 - 00:14:37:08 Benny Goodman: Regras did you? Yeah. Very far. they were terrific.

00:14:37:11 - 00:14:40:03 Leonard Feather: okay. I’ll do,