Benny Goodman / The Benny Goodman Story – Our Shootout Winner from 2010

This is a SUPERB SOUNDING Benny Goodman Mono album from 1955, here reissued with, in some ways, even better sound. Benny Goodman still had it in 1955, and he and his band really punch some life into this music that they had been playing for 20 years. The Capitol engineers really capture the power of his band, with correct tonality throughout. The originals (which are very hard to find) have a little more midrange magic but less punch. Each is good in its own way. This may be a reissue but it’s a damn fine one.

Out of the half dozen copies we listened to, this is the second best sounding. It’s a little smoother and easier on the ears. 

One interesting quality to practically every copy is the fact that the first bit of brass at the opening of side one sounds smeared, but quickly the transients come into the picture and restore the correctness of the brass. I have no idea why that should be; it must be on the tape.