Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Theses, Dissertations and Capstones 1-1-2006 Benny Goodman : From “King of Swing” to Third Stream Jae Ellis Bull Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/etd Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Bull, Jae Ellis, "Benny Goodman : From “King of Swing” to Third Stream" (2006). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. Paper 517. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Benny Goodman: From “King of Swing” to Third Stream. Thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Marshall University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music. by Jae Ellis Bull Dr. Vicki Stroeher, Committee Chairperson Dr. Marshall Onofrio, Dr. Donald Williams Marshall University August 2006 ABSTRACT Benny Goodman: From “King of Swing” to Third Stream. By Jae Ellis Bull Clarinetist and band leader Benny Goodman was born in the Chicago slums in 1909. He first played in dance bands and eventually organized his own band, which became so popular that he was known as the "King of Swing." As a clarinetist, he also was attracted to classical music, particularly the clarinet music of Mozart, Debussy and Brahms. Gunther Schuller, describing Goodman's ability to play in both jazz and classical styles said, "In a sense, Benny was the first Third Stream musician, moving easily in and out of jazz and classical music, from the Palomar Ballroom to Carnegie Hall..."1 This paper explores Goodman's musical career in both the classical and jazz worlds, defines the term “Third Stream” and describes how Benny Goodman fits this term.