The Jazz Repertory Company returns to Cadogan Hall with one of its most popular shows: Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Goodman finished his Carnegie Hall concert with a very extended version of perhaps the most popular tune of the swing era, ‘Sing, Sing, Sing.‘
Richard Pite looks at the history of ‘Sing Sing Sing’, and its enduring and irresistible appeal.
A few years back, you might have seen the Guinness ad which, in one minute, celebrated the record producer, talent scout and champion of jazz, John Hammond. It’s a beautifully shot monochrome period piece, and what do they use as the soundtrack? Well, ‘Sing Sing Sing’ of course – that wild mix of minor key riffing, wailing trumpets, ululating clarinet and jungle drums that, almost ninety years after Goodman recorded it, still crops up everywhere.
The piece is a good choice for a tribute to Hammond (who was Benny Goodman’s brother-in-law), as he played a major role in making the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert the first time black and white jazz musicians had ever shared a concert stage together. It was Hammond that introduced the pianist Teddy Wilson to Benny, and he also arranged for the star players of the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras to appear alongside the Goodman Orchestra.
Not so long ago, ‘In The Mood’ was the choice if a movie soundtrack wanted to conjure up the excitement of the swing era, but it’s now been replaced by ‘Sing Sing Sing,’ not only because it perfectly captures that brief moment when jazz became the most popular music of its day, but because it also appeals to ears raised on rock music. The music doesn’t conjure up rows of middle-aged chaps straining the buttons of their tuxedos and peering down at their music stands in bi-focals in a way that, say, ‘In The Mood’ or ‘Jersey Bounce’ do. ‘Sing Sing Sing’ is all about sex, sweat and frenzy. If Uncle Monty attempted to dance to it at a wedding, the ambulance would probably have to be hailed well before the cowbell brings the band in for the final shout chorus.
‘Sing Sing Sing’ was written by Louis Prima, best known today for singing ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ in Disney’s The Jungle Book. The song was turned into an instrumental feature by Goodman a year later in 1937, taking up both sides of a 78-rpm record and featuring the first ever extended drum solo. Before then, a drummer got, at best, a short break – he’d be lucky if he got eight bars to show off his chops.
Gene Krupa was the right man to carry off this extended drum feature. A wildly extrovert player with movie-star good looks, he had a way of making moves sitting at his kit that were visually as exciting as the sounds he was making. Krupa needled Goodman because he commanded most of the attention on stage. Goodman, of course, played like a dream, but he looked like a college professor and besides the speedy movement of his fingers and the occasional glint of a spotlight on his specs, there was precious little visually to grab a young bobby-soxer. That’s where Krupa came in (and not long after the ’38 Carnegie Hall gig, that’s why Krupa went out).
So, here’s a quick tour through YouTube to pick out a few of the many times ‘Sing Sing Sing’ has featured in the movies. Let’s start with Benny’s band in 1938 in Hollywood Hotel, taking the tune for a short spin for just over a minute.
Here it is in the 1993 movie Swing Kids, a movie about teenagers in Nazi Germany secretly meeting up to dance to it. How the hell those jungle drums didn’t wake up the snoozing fräuleins next door who would have shopped them to the Gestapo, goodness knows. However, a salutary reminder that shortly after it was recorded, you could have been executed for listening to it.
Woody Allen has the record for using it the most in his films, three times now: Manhattan Murder Mystery; New York Stories; and here in Deconstructing Harry, Sing Sing Sing goes to hell.
By now those damn drums are probably driving you to distraction, so let’s quit whilst there’s still a chance you might want to come and see it live as it would have sounded in 1938, on 19 January, 3pm at Cadogan Hall SW1 – see you there.
The show features Pete Long in the role of Benny Goodman; pianist Colin Good as Teddy Wilson and Jess Stacy, Anthony Kerr as Lionel Hampton, and Richard Pite as Gene Krupa. Pete Long’s 13 piece band The Goodmen includes Ryan Quigley, James Davison and Chris Snead on trumpets; Andy Flaxman and Ian Bateman on trombones; saxophonists Karen Sharp, Dean Masser, Alyson Cawley and Bob McKay; plus Martin Wheatley on guitar and Louise Cookman on vocals.
Richard Pite is Director of the Jazz Repertory Company.
