Search - Benny Goodman: Farewell on DVD

Swing is still the thing

Shuman | South Africa | 11/19/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This dvd is rated a buy. Goodman was as always consistently Goodman at his highest performance standard. His attempt at humor though was a bit trite and not spontaneous, as he would have liked the audience to think.

Artists are Charlie Anatolini. He is one on the few drummers who is not under the mistaken assumption that the audience has come solely to listen to him. Don Haas is an excellent pianist. Peter Witte on base is also good and his solo (1) melodic.
As a guest artist, Sven Agmussen on violin was excellent. Jimmy Maxwell on trumpet could have stayed at home. Although a good section man in a big band, his muted and sporadic playing was barely audable. As for the musical selection, nothing new, but always refreshing to hear these same Goodman standards.

For Benny to swing at his age was truly remarkable.

The second DVD is an audio of that concert and should rather have contained other material."

Benny's farewell is worth seeing (and hearing)

Steve Emerine | Tucson, AZ United States | 10/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This isn't Benny Goodman at his best, nor should anyone expect it to be. It does, however, capture his final recorded concert. The king of the clarinet shows an enthusiasm you might not expect as he presents a dozen or so tunes from various eras of his seven-decade career for the umpteen-hundredth time. This Goodman is more mellow than in his early days, when he was known for "the glare" when a band member or spectator damaged the perfection he always strived for. This Goodman is relaxed, smiling and even self-deprecating on occasion. (If he were still living, he probably would even chuckle when he saw that the jewel case and insert misidentify one of the songs. Don't worry; even your Aunt Minnie will know the real title.) Another company has issued this DVD by itself, but this set also includes a CD so you can listen to the music when you don't have time to watch it."