Date With The King - Benny Goodman & Rosemary Clooney

 

It's Bad For Me

Date With The King

Benny Goodman & Rosemary Clooney

House Party Series

Columbia Records CL 2572

1956

From the back cover: By coincidence, and perhaps some design on Columbia's part, Benny Goodman recorded these wonderful songs twenty-five years after his first records for Columbia (Vintage Goodman, CL 821). What has happened between 1931 and 1956 is no mystery for anyone who has listened to records at all during the past quarter-century. And as for the ravages of time – there just aren't any apparent in these warm and swinging performances. Benny played "That's A' Plenty" with the same fever this year as he played it in 1929 with his early jazz groups.

But there are many other innovations on these sides to tell you about, and the most important is none other than Rosemary Clooney. I've long been aware of Benny's admiration for Rosie's records, and it's not difficult to see why. Her long experience as a band vocalist with Tony Pastor's orchestra, her natural feeling for the best instrumental music, and her enthusiasm and respect for Benny made her a logical choice for a record such as this one.

Also from the back cover: It's Bad For Me is a song Benny discovered while going through a book of Cole Porter's songs. It's an old one, from the show "Nymph Errant," but it has never become well known and is unavailable on records. Benny likes to sing, when he finds a song he thinks fits his husky, jazz-flavored voice, and this is a song he particularly wanted to sing. He and Rosie sing a chorus and a half together and their own fun with it is a large part of this very special performance. This one includes the Goodman Sextet, with Buck Clayton, a Columbia star in his own right and featured soloist in the movie story of Benny's life, "The Benny Goodman Story," Urbie Green on trombone, and Aaron Bell on bass joining Benny, Dick Hyman and Bobby Donaldson.

Memories Of You

Can't We Talk It Over

That's A' Plenty

A Fine Romance

It's Bad For Me

Goodbye