Bands Music

If you don't care about listening to a concert version of the songs, then skip this CD set and buy CDs that have studio recordings. The sound quality leaves a LOT to be desired.

It pains me to give less than 5 stars to this monumental recording, but the background noises compromise it just a trifle. I've listened to this 1938 Carnegie Hall concert since I was a kid on vinyl, and the vinyl versions, produced in the 60's and 70's, are superior in sound quality to this. I'm no expert on modern musical technology, but there must be a way to eliminate some of the annoying buzz in the background.

Now, having dispensed with this criticism, the music played on this date is astonishing. Here are the definitive Goodman versions of three of his classic tracks, "Sing, Sing, Sing," "One O'Clock Jump" and the incomparable "Don't Be That Way." This last song is average in the studio-recorded Bluebird version, but this live song is enlivened by some of Krupa's greatest bass beats. This will have you jumpin' out of your seat, guaranteed!

Benny's band was at its apex here and it shows. All too soon, both Gene Krupa and Harry James would be leaving the band. I recommend this disc as an essential popular recording of the 20th century, but beware of the background hiss throughout.

I agree with review below that this is the best remastering of this legendary concert. The Columbia release is the most sold, but this has equivalent sound without any of the loud crackles heard on the Columbia remastering. Brilliant work by the Avid sound engineer! This Avid release should now be considered the definitive remastering of this indispensable concert.

This CD set by AVID is the best remastering of this amazing concert ever! I have all other versions available on CD including the best-selling one remastered by Phil Schapp (which is so shrill and crackly that it is unlistenable). This is the set to buy. Moreover, the other reviewers here who complain about pops and cracks are clearly referring to other CDs (they are rating the wrong product).

This CD set is free of nearly all pops and cracks, yet it is not muffled like some other versions. Finally, as a BOUNS, AVID includes a number of rare Goodman sides from 1945-47. This is a fantstic deal, as are all the other Jazz offerings from AVID.

James Lincoln Collier wrote in his book, Benny Goodman and the Swing Era, "...almost as an afterthought, the concert was recorded. There was, then, no tape recording, and making records in concert halls and nightclubs was far more difficult than it is today... According to the generally accepted story, Albert Marx, who had recently married Helen Ward, decided 'on his own initiative' to have the concert piped from a single overhead microphone to a nearby studio where acetate recordings were cut... One set of acetates was presented to the Library of Congress, and Goodman was given another set. It lay in a closet of his New York apartment for twelve years, and was only discovered when his sister-in-law Rachael Speiden took over his apartment and found them. By then tape was available. Goodman had the concert transfered, and in November 1950, Columbia Records issued it with the jam session reduced by half and two tunes, 'Sometimes I'm Happy' and 'If Dreams Come True. ' omitted because they were badly recorded..."

The songs on this disc are from 1938, when Duke and the orchestra were famous, but just before Billy Strayhorn came to the band. What you get on this disc are some true classic Ellington songs and also some "commercial" recordings. Forget about the commercial stuff, you'll figure out which ones they are and concentrate on the gems. The first 3 cuts ...Swing Society, Prologue to, and The New Black and Tan Fantasy are awesome, especially the 2 revised versions of Black and Tan Fantasy. The next 3 tunes just move along so effortlessly, featuring the bands soloists in laid-back arrangements. On to Echoes of Harlem that features Cootie Williams. Cootie is terrific, actually on this entire disc he sounds especially great. Riding on a Blue Note (what a great title) just carries you along with a fantastic beat. However, the Gal From Joe's, to me is the best track. For on it Johnny Hodges gives a performance that is so satisfying. He " talks" to the brass section in a series of wah-wah dialogues that transitions into a smooth flowing swing melody. And its Hodges again in I let A Song Go Out Of My Heart . But this time he talks to Carney and the inter-play between them is just the greatest. On Jeeps Blues, Hodges again shows why he was the premier soloist with the orchestra. Overall the arrangements sound very relaxed, like the band was really enjoying themselves. Of special interest is Hodges playing the soprano sax on a number of tracks. Although he started on the soprano, as you all know, he made the alto his horn of choice. When listening to these 1938 recordings its also interesting to hear the lack of a Strayhorn arrangement. These seem simpler, more blues oriented, and more prone to soloists as opposed to the whole orchestra achieving an effect.