Centennial Collection
Benny Goodman's 100th birthday wouldn't have been until 2009, but Bluebird has loosened the parameters for itsCentennial Collectionseries. So here is yet another collection of the King of Swing's recordings from the mid-to-late '30s, including his legendary collaborations with arrangerFletcher Henderson--but not such Columbia items as the 1938Carnegie Hall Concert. The classics here include "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "King Porter Stomp," and there's a guest appearance byElla Fitzgerald. Although the bulk of the material features the full orchestra, the set also includes one track by his trio, two by the quartet, and a 1936 all-star septet underGene Krupa's name. The DVD ranges from film performances of the 1940s to clips from the 1966 Belgian Jazz Festival. The closing audio-only interview with Goodman comes from an unidentified date.--Lloyd Sachs