Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Oran Etkin: What's New? Reimagining Benny Goodman

6

Oran Etkin: What's New? Reimagining Benny Goodman

By

Sign in to view read count
Oran Etkin: What's New?  Reimagining Benny Goodman
Those looking to preview some of the most interesting jazz offerings due to arrive in any given year know that New York's Winter Jazzfest is the place to do it. For more than a decade, this annual January happening has had its finger on the pulse of the jazz world, giving the press, the fans, and curious jazz newcomers an opportunity to hear the best of what's around and the best of what's to come.

The 2015 edition of the festival was no different in that respect, and one of the most memorable performances this writer encountered was Oran Etkin's tribute to Benny Goodman. While it lacked the pre-fest buzz factor of some of the other events (i.e. David Murray's shows, Trio 3's meeting with pianist Vijay Iyer, etc.), it wasn't lacking in any other way. Etkin managed to present a set of music that was both respectful to its subject and adventurous in nature. This album—arriving about eight months after that performance and eighty years after Goodman's famous Swing Era-launching concert at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles—does the same.

Etkin tips his cap to the King Of Swing in a variety of ways, covering classics from his repertoire, delivering some originals (re)made in his image or his honor, creating some unique, Goodman-sourced derivatives, and convening a quartet of clarinet, vibraphone, piano, and drums—the same instrumentation Goodman used in his famed color barrier-breaking quartet. The musicians that Etkin works with even speak to the substance of Goodman's quartet mates in certain respects. Pianist Sullivan Fortner often seems to have the whole history of jazz at his fingertips, but he zones in on a classy, Teddy Wilson-esque sound while working behind guest vocalist Charenee Wade on "After You've Gone"; drummer Matt Wilson manages to evoke thoughts of Gene Krupa with his swing flair and zaniness; and Etkin and vibraphonist Steve Nelson capture the spirit of Goodman and vibraphone pioneer Lionel Hampton during the chipper "Running Wild."

Elsewhere, as on "Be Good Lady," where Etkin uses a four note cell from Goodman's introduction to "Lady Be Good" as the launching pad for an outré, klezmer-tinged number, this quartet's work is almost antithetical to the Goodman ethos. But antithetical or not, it's a winning performance. Other album highlights include a rubato, walk-through-the-clouds take on "Where Or When," a cheery trip through "King Porter Stomp," and Etkin's soulful and moving "When Every Voice Shall Sing," written to commemorate Goodman's role in the fight against segregation. If anybody thinks Benny Goodman and/or his music are passé, they need only spend a little time with this album to be proven dead wrong. Etkin does right by Goodman while still managing to maintain his own voice on this thrilling date.

Track Listing

Prelude; Dinah; Why Don't You Do Right; Running Wild; When Every Voice Shall Sing; What's New; Brink; King Porter Stomp; After You've Gone; Be Good Lady; Where Or When; Sing, Sing, Sing.

Personnel

Oran Etkin
clarinet

Oran Etkin; clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone; Sullivan Fortner: piano; Steve Nelson: vibraphone; Matt Wilson: drums; Charenee Wade: vocals (3, 9).

Album information

Title: What's New? Reimagining Benny Goodman | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Motema Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.