Park Theatre to Host Benny Goodman Tribute

Hailed by the New York Times as “Goodman with a twist of lightening,” New York City jazz clarinetist and Benny Goodman alumnus Ken Peplowski will join vocalist Patty Barkas and the renowned Capitol Center Jazz Orchestra to pay tribute to Benny Goodman during a special 16 city East Coast tour. On Saturday, October 5, the tour will visit the historic Park Theatre in Cranston to celebrate and recreate Goodman’s iconic 1938 Jazz Concert at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall. 

Known as the “King of Swing,” Benny Goodman was a jazz and swing musician who specialized in the clarinet while leading one of the most popular musical groups in American history. In January 1938, Goodman and his band became the first jazz group to perform at Carnegie Hall. Though Goodman was initially hesitant about the concert because jazz had yet to be accepted by mainstream audiences, the show sold-out weeks in advance and the group performed its trademark sounds to a crowd of over 2,700 fans.

“Benny Goodman’s revolutionary performance at Carnegie Hall is one of the most important concerts in American history and a defining moment for jazz that continues to influence musicians to this day,” said Yusuf Gandhi, Executive Director of the Park Theatre. “We are excited to host this special performance and give Rhode Islanders an opportunity to enjoy some of the most accomplished jazz musicians in the world as they honor the man who brought jazz to the forefront of popular culture.”

The incredible evening of music will feature numerous classics from Goodman’s historic performance, including “Don’t Be That Way,” “Memories of You,” and the iconic “Sing, Sing, Sing.” In 1950, recordings of the Carnegie Hall concert were discovered in Goodman’s apartment and released by Columbia Records. The landmark recordings represent the first ever double album and the first to sell over a million copies.

The “75th Anniversary Tribute to Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert” will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 5. Tickets are $25 and $35 and are available by calling the Park Theatre’s Box Office at (401) 467-7275 or online at www.ParkTheatreRI.com.