At the time Benny Goodman's band became one of the icons of great Big Bands in 1936-1937, Artie Shaw was climbing up the same, very difficult ladder. He was an acknowledged virtuoso clarinetist with a highly personable style. Other musicians admired him for an instrumental technique considered more facile than that of Benny Goodman. Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and others were ready to challenge the national popularity of the Casa Loma Orchestra. Casa Loma's jazz numbers were wowing the college crowd and introducing thousands of Americans to swing. It had in Gene Gifford, one of the best arrangers in swing, and in Glen Gray, a monumentally stable leader. Raymond Scott's quintet contributed to the Swing Era also with unique blends of rhythm, harmonies, and sound effects conceived by a man who never put his music on paper. These greats, as well as many other bandleaders, produced the unique sounds of the Swing Era.