Benny Goodman: That's A Plenty
Track
That's A-Plenty
Artist
Benny Goodman (clarinet)
CD
The Chronological Benny Goodman 1928-1931 (Classics 693)
Musicians:
Benny Goodman (clarinet), Mel Stitzel (piano),
Bob Conselman (drums).
.Composed by Bert Williams & Henry Creamer
.Recorded: Chicago, June 13, 1928
Rating: 95/100 (learn more)
Benny Goodman was 19 years old when he recorded his dazzling solo version of "That's A Plenty". He was far from a newcomer to the recording studio, with a dozen-and-a-half documented trips since the winter of 1926. This recording was one of two clarinet solos recorded in June 1928, and while Goodman made several recordings in the interim, it would be over a year before he recorded under his own name again. Goodman's purposely-shrill high register and the busy rhythm of Mel Stitzel and Bob Conselman bring to mind the "hoochie-coochie" craze of the time. The rhythm seems to impede Goodman's swing and one gets the feeling that Goodman is just dying to burst out of this arrangement and just swing. Even at his young age, Goodman's astounding clarinet technique is evident as he solos effortlessly in every section of his instrument. The edges were still a little rough, but in 1928, Benny Goodman was already a force to be reckoned with.
Reviewer: Thomas Cunniffe
Tags: 1920s jazz · clarinet · that's a plenty
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