1970 · Album
Benny Goodman Today
Recorded Concert in Stockholm, Sweden (exact date unverified) · London Records · Format: Phase 4 stereo spectacular
A Live Stockholm Swing in Full Color
Goodman's big band and small group recordings from Stockholm capture the bandleader in his element, swinging hard without pretense.
Step into this Stockholm concert and you hear the full weight of a working big band—brass cutting through clearly, rhythm section locked and driving, no studio polish trying to hide anything. The recordings alternate between large ensemble arrangements and tighter small group moments, and that contrast is what keeps the record moving. There's a directness here that feels earned rather than performed. Lennie Bush holds the low end steady on bass while Bill McGuffie plays it smart on piano, never overreaching. The saxophones—Bob Burns and Bob Efford—blend into the section with the kind of precision you only get from musicians who've played hundreds of nights together. The trumpets, Greg Bowen and John McLevy, cut through with clarity, and Keith Christie and Nat Peck on trombone provide the harmonic glue that keeps everything from spinning apart.
This was released in 1970 on London Records as a "phase 4 stereo spectacular," which is marketing language, but the stereo recording itself is genuinely clean and well-balanced for its time. By this point in his career, Goodman had already recorded extensively across decades, so this isn't breaking new ground stylistically—it's a live snapshot of a bandleader and his musicians playing straight-ahead swing. The material here works best if you're already comfortable with Goodman's approach: solid ensemble playing, strong solos, nothing experimental. For newcomers, King of Swing (1956) or his earlier Blue Note sessions offer better entry points. For fans who know his catalogue, this is worth hearing simply because live recordings from this era caught something studio sessions couldn't—the actual feel of musicians responding to a room and an audience.
Who's playing
Lennie Bushbass
Bill McGuffiepiano
Bob Burnssaxophone
Bob Effordsaxophone
Don Honeywillsaxophone
Frank Reidysaxophone
Dave Willissaxophone
Greg Bowentrumpet
John McLevytrumpet
Derek Watkinstrumpet
Keith Christietrombone
Nat Pecktrombone
Jim Wilsontrombone
Bobby Orrdrums
Benny Goodmanclarinet
