--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Above all else, [Benny Goodman] was a…" description: "\"Above all else, [Benny Goodman] was a great player, one of the greatest American music has produced. He brought his absolute talent and his invincible ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/stanley-crouch-16415_absolutes_above-all-else-benny-goodman-was-a-great_523097.jpg" --- # Above all else, \[Benny Goodman\] was a great player, one of… ![“Above all else, [Benny Goodman] was a great player, one of the greatest American music has produced. He brought his absolute talent and his invincible love of music to the fore every time he played. There are many other things connected to society and ethnicity that are often mentioned in a…” quote by Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/stanley-crouch-16415_absolutes_above-all-else-benny-goodman-was-a-great_523097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/stanley-crouch-16415_absolutes_above-all-else-benny-goodman-was-a-great_523097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/stanley-crouch-16415_absolutes_above-all-else-benny-goodman-was-a-great_523097.jpg) > “Above all else, \[Benny Goodman\] was a great player, one of the greatest American music has produced. He brought his absolute talent and his invincible love of music to the fore every time he played. There are many other things connected to society and ethnicity that are often mentioned in a discussion of Benny Goodman but all of them are connected to his overwhelming affection for the art of the music and the fairness it should be allowed to express.” [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote celebrates Benny Goodman's exceptional talent and deep love for music, emphasizing that his artistic passion transcends social and ethnic discussions. **In simple terms:** Goodman's talent and love for music dominate his legacy. Key Takeaway Focus on artistic passion over external labels. Themes music talent artistic passion social context fairness Mood admiring reflective Type celebratory analytical When to use this quote - Music education - concert programming - media discussions about ethnicity in art Key Concepts Jazz history cultural impact artist identity Questions to Reflect On - How does an artist’s love for their craft influence their cultural impact? - Can talent alone overcome societal biases? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook systemic barriers faced by other musicians of color. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [American music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-music/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Ethnicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnicity/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Invincible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invincible/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) ## Related quotes > [ Benny \[Goodman\] used to practice 15 times more than the whole band combined. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-james/benny-goodman-used-to-practice-15-times-more-than-the-whole-band/) Harry James > [The brilliant explosion known as Benny Goodman went off in 1935, and it hasn´t gone out yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/the-brilliant-explosion-known-as-benny-goodman-went-off-in-1935-and/) Whitney Balliett > [Benny Goodman plays the clarinet. I play music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/benny-goodman-plays-the-clarinet-i-play-music/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [I had never heard anyone play like Benny Goodman and had never seen anyone like him on the stage. I realize now that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-had-never-heard-anyone-play-like-benny-goodman-and-had-never-seen/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [ The distance between me and Benny \[Goodman\], was that I was trying to play a musical thing, and Benny was trying to swing. Benny… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/the-distance-between-me-and-benny-goodman-was-that-i-was-trying-to/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [When I first met Benny Goodman he wouldn't talk about anything but clarinets, mouthpieces, reeds, etc. When I tried to change the subject, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-shaw/when-i-first-met-benny-goodman-he-wouldn-t-talk-about-anything-but/) [Artie Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-shaw/) > [Since the advent of Benny Goodman, there have been too few clarinetists to fill the void that Goodman left. Ken Peplowski is most certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-torme/since-the-advent-of-benny-goodman-there-have-been-too-few/) [Mel Torme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-torme/) > [Everybody in Germany was for the -German cause. But then, after the war ended, when I heard the first Glenn Miller sound on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-colani/everybody-in-germany-was-for-the-german-cause-but-then-after-the-war/) [Luigi Colani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-colani/) > [The extent of his influence across jazz, across American music, and around the world has such continuing stature that he is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/the-extent-of-his-influence-across-jazz-across-american-music-and/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [“These stories at times to be stories of a long-lost world when the city of New York was still filled with a river light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/these-stories-at-times-to-be-stories-of-a-long-lost-world-when-the/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“It takes the black keys and the white keys both, to make perfect harmony.” - Benny Goodman, The King of Swing reply to when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-goodman/it-takes-the-black-keys-and-the-white-keys-both-to-make-perfect-2/) [Benny Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-goodman/) > [My dad had these great Benny Goodman albums that I was obsessed with, and Louis Prima's another guy I loved, and Peter Niro the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/my-dad-had-these-great-benny-goodman-albums-that-i-was-obsessed-with/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [Benny Goodman was one of the big influences as a clarinet player. That's why I wanted the clarinet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/benny-goodman-was-one-of-the-big-influences-as-a-clarinet-player-that/) [Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/) > [I started off playing the clarinet, after I was inspired by listening to my dad's Benny Goodman records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-lee/i-started-off-playing-the-clarinet-after-i-was-inspired-by-listening/) [Alvin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-lee/) > [My real name's McGill. The Jew thing I just do for the homeboys. They all want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul/my-real-name-s-mcgill-the-jew-thing-i-just-do-for-the-homeboys-they/) [Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul/) ## More by Stanley Crouch > [I also wanted to do something that I hadn't really seen in almost any black novels, which was a complex love story in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/i-also-wanted-to-do-something-that-i-hadn-t-really-seen-in-almost-any/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [Getting to the pint where the other is not the enemy is a big leap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/getting-to-the-pint-where-the-other-is-not-the-enemy-is-a-big-leap/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [The discussion of ideas as opposed to the American narcissistic obsession with what's going on with the self, that's the general thing people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/the-discussion-of-ideas-as-opposed-to-the-american-narcissistic/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [When people conclude that all is futile, then the absurd becomes the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/when-people-conclude-that-all-is-futile-then-the-absurd-becomes-the/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [“It may sound cruel...but...what makes a criminal is a disposition toward cruelty, a laziness and impatience that lead to taking from others, and cynicism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/it-may-sound-cruel-but-what-makes-a-criminal-is-a-disposition-toward/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [I wanted to get to that aesthetic proposition that comes out of learning the human elements of a world, so that those notes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/i-wanted-to-get-to-that-aesthetic-proposition-that-comes-out-of/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [Our democratic richness arrives when we're able to comprehend our collective humanity accurately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/our-democratic-richness-arrives-when-we-re-able-to-comprehend-our/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [Our job as writers and thinkers in the time is how to bring about the occasions that let people have that first-person experience -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/our-job-as-writers-and-thinkers-in-the-time-is-how-to-bring-about-the/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [You'd never know that listening to people in the UN but tribalism is the father of racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/you-d-never-know-that-listening-to-people-in-the-un-but-tribalism-is/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [I don't know any women who don't think about what they look like, and I don't know any men who don't think about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/i-don-t-know-any-women-who-don-t-think-about-what-they-look-like-and/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [The high point of civilization is that you can hate me and I can hate you but we develop an etiquette that allows us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/the-high-point-of-civilization-is-that-you-can-hate-me-and-i-can-hate/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [Our society has gotten to the point where we might soon become less and less shocked by any kind of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/our-society-has-gotten-to-the-point-where-we-might-soon-become-less/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [When a violent minority that crosses color lines comes to believe that killing those you know or do not know is a reasonable solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/when-a-violent-minority-that-crosses-color-lines-comes-to-believe/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [But the myth of violent solutions as the ultimate solutions maintains itself in much of popular media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/but-the-myth-of-violent-solutions-as-the-ultimate-solutions-maintains/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) > [The grand irony, however, is that Southern segregation was not brought to an end, nor redneck violence dramatically reduced, by violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crouch/the-grand-irony-however-is-that-southern-segregation-was-not-brought/) [Stanley Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) [Explore all 40 Stanley Crouch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crouch/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) Christy Nockels > [Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. 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