The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Benny Goodman with Harry James, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Cootie Williams, Bobby Hackett and many other great jazz artists.
Originally issued on LP in 1950, Benny Goodman At Carnegie Hall is presented here in its entirety for the first time. This is due largely to the dogged detective work of the jazz scholar/broadcaster/multi-Grammy-winning producer Phil Schaap, who had for 30 years been looking for the acetates containing all of the evening’s music. After several false leads (one of which took him to the Library of Congress), the trail led him to the original acetates – with the best sound – plus some previously unissued Goodman gems.
Benny Goodman's January 16, 1938, Carnegie Hall concert is considered the single most important jazz or popular music concert in history: jazz's "coming out" party to the world of "respectable" music, held right in that throne room of musical respectability, Carnegie Hall. The 1950-vintage three-album set from the concert only solidified its reputation, and an earlier CD release derived from the LP master was a choice entry in the Goodman catalog for more than ten years. For the 1999 release, producer Phil Schaap re-sourced the concert from original 78 rpm transcription discs; he has also rescued "Sometimes I'm Happy," the show's original second number, and "If Dreams Come True," its original first encore, along with the unedited version of "Honeysuckle Rose" (with Harry Carney in a two-chorus baritone sax solo and Buck Clayton's three-chorus trumpet solo), all previously lost. The detail is startling, with soloists who are more up close than ever and even details from the audience reactions. Gene Krupa's drums have an extraordinary richness of tone, and the whole rhythm section finally gets its due as well, even Freddie Green's rhythm guitar solo during "Honeysuckle Rose," which is gloriously enhanced. There will be casual listeners, however, who won't like this release because Schaap has chosen to leave a lot of surface noise, in the interest of preserving the original concert ambience. Some compromise should have been possible, however, where the worst source damage is concerned, and some casual listeners may prefer the original CD release, despite the enhancements featured here. (Bruce Eder)
Tracklisting:
CD 1:
1. Benny Goodman 1950 (Introduction)
2. Don't Be That Way
3. Sometimes I'm Happy
4. One O'clock Jump
5. Applause,Transition To Twenty Years Of Jazz
6. Sensation Rag
7. I'm Coming Virginia
8. When My Baby Smiles At Me
9. Shine
10. Blue Reverie
11. Applause,Transition Back To Goodman Orchestra
12. Life Goes To A Party
13. Setting Up For Jam Session
14. Honeysuckle Rose
15. Applause,Setting-Up & Tuning-Up For Bg Small Groups
16. Body And Soul
17. Applause As Lionel Hampton Enters
18. Avalon
19. The Man I Love
20. I Got Rhythm
21. Pause Track

CD 2:
1. Blue Skies
2. Loch Lomond
3. Applause,Benny Goodman's "No Encore" Announcement
4. Blue Room
5. Swingtime In The Rockies
6. Applause,Martha Tilton Returns To Stage
7. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen
8. Applause,Setting-Up For Bg Small Groups
9. China Boy
10. Stompin' At The Savoy
11. Applause,Bg Quartet Continues But Changes Program
12. Dizzy Spells
13. Applause,Transition Back To Goodman Orchestra For Finale
14. Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing)
15. Applaus Until Encores
16. If Dreams Come True
17. Applause For Second Encore
18. Big John's Special
19. Pause Track
Benny Goodman 1950 Tune-By-Tune Introductions:
20. Introduction
21. Don't Be That Way
22. Twenty Years Of Jazz
23. Blue Reverie
24. Life Goes To A Party
25. Body And Soul
26. Avalon
27. Swingtime In The Rockies
28. Conclusion
Released 1999.