2005 · Album
Today
Recorded Live concert in Stockholm, Sweden · London Records · Format: Phase 4 stereo spectacular
Benny Goodman Swinging in Stockholm
A concert recording that catches Goodman leading both big band and small group with the ease of a man still commanding the room.
Benny Goodman Today captures a live concert in Stockholm, Sweden—a session that found him working across two formats on the same bill, big band and small group, which meant the rhythm section had to stay sharp through entirely different feels. The mix of material reflects what Goodman wanted to show an overseas audience: his versatility, his range, his ability to move between the swing that made him famous and the tighter small-group interplay that kept him engaged. The big band tracks have the expected precision and drive, but it's the small group selections where you hear Goodman still hungry—the clarinet isn't just leading, it's conversing, and everyone's listening. Released in 1970 on London Records as a Phase 4 stereo spectacular, the recording benefits from good fidelity for a concert from this era, which matters because Goodman's tone and articulation deserve to be heard clearly. By this point in his career, Goodman was past the era when every release mattered commercially, but he hadn't stopped playing seriously. This isn't a nostalgia project or a victory lap—it's Goodman doing what he'd been doing for decades, which was playing jazz with musicians who could keep up.
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