Benny Goodman took some stylistic chances during his 11-year tenure with Capitol. He listened closely to, then flirted with, bebop during this time, not altering his own swing-based playing but inserting it into a bop framework. He also played traditional swing in various small groups. The sessions covered on this most recent Mosaic four-disc (six-album) set were originally issued on a number of 10" and 12" albums, as well as the CDs BG in Hi Fi and The Benny Goodman Story, a Japanese issue. It shows Goodman mixing and matching idioms, retaining his own style and vision, and ultimately opting to return to the music he felt most comfortable making and playing. Despite some variation in sound quality caused by the music originally being issued on 16" acetate discs, the performance quality certainly compensates for it, and the discographical information and session histories are as exhaustive as possible.
CD 1
01. After You've Gone (2:57)
02. Sweet Georgia Brown (2:52)
03. I'll Always Be In Love With You (3:12)
04. Sweet Lorraine (3:05)
05. Sweet Lorraine (alt) (3:07)
06. St. Louis Blues (3:00)
07. I Know That You Know (2:42)
08. I Can't Get Started (3:19)
09. Lonesome Road (2:50)
10. Fine And Dandy (3:05)
11. The Bannister Slide (2:46)
12. Eight, Nine And Ten (2:58)
13. I Never Knew (2:59)
14. Mean To Me (2:59)
15. Puttin' On The Ritz (3:03)
16. I Never Knew (3:09)
17. Lazy River (3:02)
18. The Bannister Slide (2:56)
19. Benny's Boogie (2:55)
20. How High The Moon (3:04)
21. Music Maestro Please (3:02)
CD 2
01. Makin' Whoopee (3:10)
02. I Apologize (3:04)
03. Them There Eyes (2:53)
04. Happy Blues (3:01)
05. Cherokee (2:53)
06. The Maids Of Cadiz (2:57)
07. Love Is Just Around The Corner (3:11)
08. I Know That You Know (2:39)
09. Hi 'Ya Sophia (3:08)
10. Baby, Have You Got A Little Love To Spare (2:56)
11. Nagasaki (2:53)
12. The Varsity Drag (2:43)
13. Gonna Get A Girl (3:06)
14. Blue (And Broken Hearted) (2:59)
15. After Hours (3:08)
16. All I Do Is Dream (2:22)
17. I'll Never Be The Same (3:17)
18. Bye Bye Pretty Baby (2:29)
19. Show Shine Boy (2:50)
20. At Sundown (2:26)
CD 3
01. When You're Smiling (2:36)
02. All I Do Is Dream Of You (2:40)
03. Stompin' At The Savoy (2:51)
04. Keep Me In Mind (2:58)
05. Shirley Steps Out (3:10)
06. Give Me Those Good Old Days (3:03)
07. I'm In A Cryin' Mood (3:05)
08. High Fa-Lutin' (3:16)
09. That's A Plenty (3:08)
10. Henderson Stomp (2:45)
11. You Took Advantage Of Me (3:05)
12. Behave Yourself (3:00)
13. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise (2:47)
14. The Record Ban Blues (2:32)
15. Stealin' Apples (3:10)
16. Bedlam (3:07)
17. There's A Small Hotel (3:00)
18. (In The Land Of) Oo-Bla-Dee (3:23)
19. Blue Lou (3:02)
20. There'll Be Some Changes Made (3:10)
CD 4
01. Everything I've Got Belongs To You (3:54)
02. But Not For Me (2:26)
03. Margie (2:43)
04. Air Mail Special (3:38)
05. Ain't Misbehavin' (3:26)
06. Get Happy (3:04)
07. Slipped Disc (3:00)
08. Rose Room (3:57)
09. What Can't I Say After I Say I'm Sorry (3:11)
10. Rock Rimmon (3:40)
11. You're A Sweetheart (3:00)
12. Avalon (3:16)
13. Moonglow (3:28)
14. Alicia's Blues (3:44)
15. Memories Of You (3:21)
16. China Boy (3:36)
17. Seven Come Eleven (3:40)
18. I Got Rhythm (4:30)
