"As a jazz clarinetist, Goodman had no peer. His flawless solo improvisations set standards of excellence for jazz performance...his concerts brought a new audience and a new level of recognition to jazz." -NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF JAZZ Clarinet wizard Benny Goodman was born in 1909 in Chicago. He started his career in the band of Ben Pollack and later started his own famous orchestra to start the swing era in 1935. The band was extremely popular and earned its leader the title "King of Swing". It is amazing how fresh and vigorous this group sounds, even though the musicians came from different musical environments. Roy Eldridge plays true to his ebullient swing beliefs, while Zoot Sims clearly shows his bebop influences – as does Toots Thielemans, at that time a true discovery both on guitar and harmonica. Ed Shaughnessy proved to be a solid drummer and, together with Charlie Short and Dick Hyman, formed the absolutely appropriate rhythm section to support the soloists. Goodman, true to himself, proved to be the brilliant clarinetist everyone expected him to be. He performed flawless runs and phrases and led soberly but friendly through the entire show. This is not only a firm example of what jazz used to be 55 years ago; it is also an important document of a group featuring some of the innovators in jazz who have contributed their share to the development of this music and should not be forgotten. Benny Goodman"s music was recently featured on NPR"s list of the 100 Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century.