Frenesí

"Frenesí" is a musical piece originally composed by Alberto Domínguez for the marimba, and adapted as a jazz standard by Leonard Whitcup and others. The word frenesí is the Spanish equivalent of "frenzy".

Number 1 hit by Artie Shaw

A hit version recorded by Artie Shaw (with an arrangement by William Grant Still) reached number one on the Billboard pop chart on December 21, 1940.

Cover versions

Other performers who have recorded the song include Les Brown, Dave Brubeck, June Christy, Betty Carter, Natalie Cole, Tommy Dorsey, The Four Freshmen, Eydie Gorme, Woody Herman, Earl Hines, Harry James, Ben E. King, Steve Lawrence, Billy May, Glenn Miller, Anita O'Day, Perez Prado, Cliff Richard, Linda Ronstadt, Jack Emblow, Pat Suzuki, Frank Sinatra, Three X Sisters vocals with the Watson Orchestra, and Caterina Valente.

In popular culture

World War II flying ace Major Thomas Hayes named his P-51 Frenesi after the song. He said it was a tribute to his wife Louise, for the song they listened to; he believed the song's name translated as "Love Me Tenderly".

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David "Benny" Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing".

In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America. His concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16, 1938, is described by critic Bruce Eder as "the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's 'coming out' party to the world of 'respectable' music."

Goodman's bands launched the careers of many major names in jazz. During an era of segregation he also led one of the first well-known integrated jazz groups. Goodman continued to perform to nearly the end of his life, while exploring an interest in classical music.

Early years

Goodman was born in Chicago, the ninth of twelve children of poor Jewish immigrants from the lands ruled by the Russian Empire. His father, David Goodman (1873–1926), came to America in 1892 from Warsaw in the partitioned Poland, and became a tailor. His mother, Dora née Grisinsky (1873–1964), came from Kaunas, Lithuania. His parents met in Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to Chicago before Benny was born. They lived in the Maxwell Street neighborhood.

Guadalupe Pineda

Guadalupe Pineda (born February 23, 1955) is a famous Mexican singer, who has released 30 albums during her career covering various styles of music and selling more than 5 and a half million copies. She primarily sings in Spanish but has also sung in French, Italian, English and Hebrew. She has been called the “Queen of Bolero” but has also sung ballads, mariachi, tango, ranchera and opera. She has performed all over Mexico and in various countries in Europe and the Americas. She's been worthy of innumerable recognitions, awards and special mentions from the critics. Guadalupe Pineda has proved through 38 years of career that quality and purity of music are not opposed to the popular approval.

She has received Gold and Platinum certifications with some of her albums due to high sales, including a Double Platinum certification for her album "Arias de Opera" (2004). Her voice has transcended Mexican frontiers, she has been included in national and foreign movies and also has been part of important collections such as "Buddha-bar" of France, or the "Monte Carlo" Italian collection, that have been edited and released all over the world. Her albums have been released in countries as far as Japan and she has performed on stage around the world (United States, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Central and South America). Her most recent shows took place at Paris in 2005, and at the historic Argentinian opera house, "Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires" in November 2006. There have been also shows at some of the more important and recognized forums in Mexico, like "El Palacio de Bellas Artes", "Sala Nezahualcoyotl", "Teatro de la Ciudad de Mexico" (which was restored in 1985), "El Teatro Degollado", "El Teatro Juarez", and forums of the "Cervantino" festival, as well in the most representative and famous civic square of the country, the "Zocalo de la Ciudad de Mexico".

Artie Shaw

Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and actor. Also an author, Shaw wrote both fiction and non-fiction.

Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists," Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had numerous hit records, he was perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." Prior to the release of "Beguine" Shaw and his fledgling band had languished in relative obscurity for over two years and after its release, he became a major pop artist within short order. The record eventually became one of the era's defining recordings. Musically restless, Shaw was also an early proponent of what became known much later as Third Stream music, which blended elements of classical and jazz forms and traditions. His music influenced other musicians, such as John Barry in England with the vamp of the James Bond Theme possibly influenced by 'Nightmare' which also has a similar vamp to Kurt Weill's Lonely House.

Linda Ronstadt

Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American popular music singer. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, and numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award. Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28, 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities.

In total, she has released over 30 studio albums and 15 compilation or greatest hits albums. Ronstadt charted 38 Billboard Hot 100 singles, with 21 reaching the top 40, 10 in the top 10, three at number 2, and "You're No Good" at number 1. This success did not translate to the UK, with only her single "Blue Bayou" reaching the UK Top 40. Her duet with Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much", peaked at number 2 in December 1989. In addition, she has charted 36 albums, 10 top-10 albums and three number 1 albums on the Billboard Pop Album Chart. Her autobiography, Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir, was released in September 2013. It debuted in the Top 10 on The New York Times Best Sellers List.