By most accounts Benny Goodman was not a particularly likable guy. The reigning king of swing was relentless in his pursuit of perfection and left many in his wake who would attest to that. But it was Goodman’s unique arrangements, bouncing solo lines and unapologetic integration that secured his place in jazz history. And since Artie Shaw hung up the horn so early, Benny all but defines the sound of jazz clarinet today. So for nearly twenty years, clarinetist Terry Myers has been leading his orchestra from coast to coast through some of the finer points of Goodman’s big band charts. Expect crinkling candy wrappers and sighs of remembrance as long dormant memories quietly creep back to the early-bird crowd.
Sun., Aug. 24, 3 p.m., 2008
