Today's jazz revivalism takes a new route

[Larry Kart]

Ominous but logical development -- a new Arbors CD, "Dave Bennett Celebrates 100 Years of Benny," notes that clarinetist Dave Bennett "looks like the young Benny Goodman," and indeed he does -- frighteningly so in the album cover photo because he's so clearly straining to play up the resemblance (striking a pose from a familiar photo of BG). One hopes that Bennett isn't taking classes in how to emit "The Ray." What next -- young Miles-ian trumpeters paying to have their vocal cords destroyed? ("Repeat after me -- 'Is that what you wanted, Al-fred?'")

[Chuck Nessa]

[catesta]

oy

[catesta]

Dude is definitely hooked on BG.

[king ubu]

maybe he's a counterpart to Dolly?

[John Tapscott]

The amateur psychologist in me says that there's something wrong with guys who do stuff like that. Something missing in their childhood perhaps. I can understand a young player sounding like someone else, almost inevitably perhaps (some players never find their own voice), but trying to LOOK like someone else is really weird in my view.

Edited March 4, 2009 by John Tapscott

[Alexander]

He can wear all the glasses and brylcreem he wants, but he doesn't look like BG. The dude clearly AIN'T NO JEW!

[Dan Gould]

I definitely can't see him giving The Ray. He couldn't even smile paternally at a bandmate.

But I can't really blame him for taking this approach - if there are enough BG fans to keep him gigging regularly, more power to him. If his son had the same look, he won't have the same audience buying into the fantasy because there won't be any left by then.

[BruceH]

I definitely can't see him giving The Ray. He couldn't even smile paternally at a bandmate.

But I can't really blame him for taking this approach - if there are enough BG fans to keep him gigging regularly, more power to him. If his son had the same look, he won't have the same audience buying into the fantasy because there won't be any left by then.

Frankly, I'm surprised there are any significant numbers now.

[Dan Gould]

But didn't BG play and record into the 70s?

[Hot Ptah]

But didn't BG play and record into the 70s?

There is a DVD of a 1981 performance by Goodman. He died in 1986.

[AllenLowe]

that does it - I'm dressing up like Jack Purvis and going to prison -

[Swinging Swede]

Benny Goodman was still playing well in his last year.

[AllenLowe]

or maybe I'll be Art Pepper and go to jail -

or Dexter Gordon doing time -

or Frank Morgan in stir -

or Tad Dameron in Lexington -

or Stan Getz in the back of that police cruiser after holding up that drug store -

or Al Haig, accused of killing his wife, in a lonely prison cell -

anyone picking up a theme here?

Edited March 5, 2009 by Jim Alfredson

[catesta]

Unfortunately, yes.

[rockefeller center]

anyone picking up a theme here?

"I think that the saddest and most upsetting aspect of this whole sorry "episode" is that, as it happened to Allen Lowe, this Board will never hear the fucking end of it."

[AllenLowe]

that's very good, guys, you sure have a firm grasp of the obvious and a knack for the irrelevant. Two necessary qualities for the witless -

Edited March 4, 2009 by AllenLowe

[Quincy]

anyone picking up a theme here?

How about Lee Morgan's last club date?

Edited March 4, 2009 by Quincy

[catesta]

that's very good, guys, you sure have a firm grasp of the obvious and a knack for the irrelevant. Two necessary qualities for the witless -

Thanks.

I'll be sure to keep my eyes glued to this and the many other threads where you continuously demonstrate real wit.

If I'm lucky I will learn a thing or two. No promises though.

[AllenLowe]

nah, I think you know everything already -

[Uncle Skid]

Probably too obvious, but if Dave Bennett loves Benny Goodman so much, why doesn't he just take what he loves so much, make it his own, and expand on it?

I bet all the local "jazz societies" (dedicated to "preserving" jazz, whatever that means) love this guy. Maybe that's not all bad, but it looks kind of pathetic to me.

[AllenLowe]

has anybody here actually heard this guy play?

[Uncle Skid]

I haven't, but I'll say this: I don't care.

And that is the downside to what he (or his "marketing" people) are doing. I know it should be about the music and not the "image", but here's a case where I fully expect to hear museum jazz. High quality museum jazz, most likely, but I can't come up with any compelling reason to listen to him when I haven't fully explored Benny Goodman himself.

And I'm also confident that Benny Goodman left many cracks and crevices "unexplored", if that makes sense. If this guy is doing that, it might be interesting.

But I doubt it. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong, but there's way too much other music I need to listen to first.

[AllenLowe]

Ironically (or not) I've come to the conclusion that, anyway, Benny's best work was done BEFORE 1934; I have a feeling this guy goes for the later work -

[Larry Kart]

has anybody here actually heard this guy play?

I'll be giving it a listen in a day or so. Will probably report.