Benny Goodman was born in Chicago in 1909 and got his first musical training at a local synagogue and the famous Hull House. In the 1920s, he played with a variety of bands and listened to New Orleans musicians like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. In 1923, he played with trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke. In 1934, he organized his own 12-piece big band that pioneered the swing style of four-note chords played by the saxes. At this time, Fletcher Henderson began writing arrangements for him. A year later, the band got national attention with broadcasts from the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. In 1938, he brought jazz to Carnegie Hall, and later played with classical orchestras. He died in 1986.