Test your knowledge of Benny Goodman's biggest hits, deep cuts and iconic moments.
Scores are valid for 15 days.
'Sing, Sing, Sing', 'Let's Dance' and 'Stompin' at the Savoy' are the sides most players name once the clarinet leads in.
The night swing filled Carnegie Hall, the drummer behind 'Sing, Sing, Sing', and the classical works written for his clarinet.
Start with the clarinet hits, then place the Carnegie Hall night, the integrated small groups and the classical curveballs.
Goodman leads on clarinet, so the instrument is the giveaway before the band kicks in. 'Sing, Sing, Sing', the radio theme 'Let's Dance' and 'Stompin' at the Savoy' are the sides most players place fast, and they are where a Swing Era round banks its early points.
On January 16, 1938 Goodman headlined a landmark swing concert at Carnegie Hall, and the sprawling 'Sing, Sing, Sing' with Gene Krupa's tom-toms was the centerpiece. Knowing a clip comes from that night, not a studio date, is the kind of context a quiz rewards.
Goodman put racially integrated small groups in the spotlight, hiring pianist Teddy Wilson in 1935 and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton in 1936 for his trio and quartet. Placing a small-group side against the full orchestra is where sharper players pull ahead.
The King of Swing also played the concert hall. He commissioned Bela Bartok's 'Contrasts' in 1938 and Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto in 1947, so a Goodman clip is not always swing. That switch from dance band to classical soloist is the round's best curveball.
You hear a clip of a Benny Goodman recording and name it, then answer trivia across his big-band hits, the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert and his small-group sides.
The big ones like 'Sing, Sing, Sing', 'Let's Dance' and 'Stompin' at the Savoy', plus deeper sides such as 'Air Mail Special', 'Bugle Call Rag' and 'Roll 'Em'.
His clarinet is easy to spot, but placing a trio or quartet side against the full orchestra, or catching a commissioned classical piece, is where a round tightens.
His band helped launch the Swing Era at the Palomar Ballroom in 1935 and headlined a landmark swing concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938, making him the era's biggest bandleader.
Benjamin David Goodman, an American clarinettist and bandleader from Chicago who led racially integrated small groups in his trio and quartet and reigned as the King of Swing.
Yes. The Benny Goodman quiz is free to play on Songtrivia, with no signup and no Spotify account needed. You can also guess the song with friends in a multiplayer round.
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