Benny Goodman - 1937-1938 (HD Remastered) (2019)

During the period covered by this CD, Benny Goodman & His Orchestra reached the height of their success with their historic January 12, 1938, Carnegie Hall concert. Shortly after, Gene Krupa had a personality conflict with Goodman and left the band, being replaced initially by Dave Tough. But Goodman still had such stars as Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Jess Stacy, Martha Tilton, Lionel Hampton, and Teddy Wilson plus himself, so his commercial success continued throughout 1938 despite competition from many other bands. This CD has the final numbers with Krupa (including "Life Goes to a Party," a hot quartet version of "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas," "Don't Be That Way," and "One O'Clock Jump") and some worthy post-Krupa performances, including "The Blue Room" and "Make Believe," showing that Benny Goodman was still the king of swing. ~ Scott Yanow