Judging by your Twitter response during last week’s Phantom Dancer live show, the Benny Goodman small group set in the vinyl hour was especially popular.

So I’ve decided to program you another Benny Goodman small group set in this week’s Phantom Dancer feature.

Plus some Judy Garland radio variety with Bing Crosby and Al Jolson from 1948 and 49.

Did you know I bring you a new The Phantom Dancer every Tuesday, live from 107.3 2SER Sydney from 12:04-2pm?

Your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio is recorded for re-broadcast over 22 radio stations of the Community Radio Network. It can be streamed online at 2ser.com any time from 12:04pm, Tuesday 22 May.

You’ll find lots of past Phantom Dancer swing jazz mixes for your listening pleasure, too, at 2ser.com.

THIS WEEK’S PHANTOM DANCER MIX

– has a set of Judy Garland from live 1948-49 radio, Helen Forrest singing with the Artie Shaw Orchestra on live 1939 radio, some of those 1940s big band radio broadcasts we missed last week and those Benny Goodman small group radio broadcasts that go from swing to bop. See the full play list below…

BENNY GOODMAN SMALL GROUPS

‘King of Swing’ clarinetist and band leader, Benny Goodman, was world-famous in the 1930s both for his ground-breaking swing orchestra and for his Benny Goodman trios and quartets. These small groups mostly featured three jazz stars of the era Teddy Wilson piano, Lionel Hampton vibraphone and Gene Krupa drums.

Goodman introduced elctric guitar into his small groups in 1938, first with Leonard Ware and then famously with Charlie Christian.

In August 1939, Goodman formed his sextet. We’ll hear some 1940s iterations of this group on today’s Phantom Dancer.

As the popularity of swing waned from 1944, Goodman small groups reflected newer jazz styles. Glenn Miller’s pianist Mel Powell was the first to introduce bop to Goodman in 1945.

By the late 1940s, as you’ll hear on today’s Phantom Dancer, Goodman had moved from swing to bop, gaining praise from jazz critics for his recordings.

BOP

Even his orchestra became bop oriented. He hired many from the bop second wave to create the right sound, including Buddy Greco (who also sang), Zoot Sims and Wardell Gray.

For bop clarinet, Goodman was much influenced by Swedish clarinetist Stan Hasselgard. For some arrangements and bebop advice, he went to pianist Mary Lou Williams.

Initially, he enjoyed the humour in bop, saying about a Thelonius Monk piece, “I like it, I like that very much. I like the piece and I like the way he played it. I think he’s got a sense of humour and he’s got some good things there.”

But within eighteen months bop frustrated Goodman and he returned to swing. In fact, he had changed his mind so completely about bop that in 1953 he was quoted, “Maybe bop has done more to set music back for years than anything. Basically it’s all wrong. It’s not even knowing the scales. Bop was mostly publicity and people figuring angles.”

And your Phantom Dancer Vid of the Week?

The Benny Goodman Bop Septet playing Mary’s Idea in 1948 from a broadcast out of The Click in Philadelphia. Enjoy!

22 MAY PLAY LIST