Customer Reviews

On the Air 1937 - 1938

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 2-CD set derives from a 2-LP set that was one of Columbia's earliest such sets--a follow-up to the phenomenally-successfull Carnegie Hall 2-record set issued in 1950. This CD release differs from the vinyl version by adding about six new tunes, only one of which in my view is worth it (Bumblebee Stomp), and--and this is truly horrible--cutting dubbed applause into and over the beginning of each number! The original LP went from tune to tune connected by applause, to give the illusion of a continous concert like the Carnegie set. It also gave the album an uninterrupted flow. For the CD they *fade down between tracks,* but then overdub fake NEW applause at the beginning of each new track! For no reason I can think of, other than perhaps the reissue producer-artiste felt he had to earn his album credit and justify his job. If they'd just taken the original LP version and dubbed it straight to CD they'd have a better product. The remaster itself is poor--muffled and indistinct compared to the original vinyl. Surely this was to eliminate what little crackle there was--these recordings sounded great--but the result is a smothered sound. And the added cuts are at a different volume level (louder) than the existing material. If there is a worse way to make an album I can't think of it. Sony should truly be ashamed. This is what they've done with Columbia's legacy?

But what about the performances? These were mostly recorded in the mid-late 30s by a young enthusiast named Bill Saveroy, who later became an engineer at Columbia and a friend to Goodman. Saveroy, who also remastered the Carnegie Hall concert for its original vinyl issue (and did a better job than Sony's botched first CD issue) had state-of-the-art recording equipment for the time, which was actually far better than most people today realize. The result is the best of the best for this kind of stuff--and by "this kind of stuff" I mean Fletcher Henderson-ish 1930s swing. Some highlights are "Ridin' High," "Sugarfoot Stomp," "King Porter Stomp," "Darktown Strutters Ball," "Everybody Loves My Baby," "Have You Met Miss Jones," "Down South Camp Meeting," "Someday Sweetheart" and the highlight of all highlights, an extended, earth-shattering rendition of "St. Louis Blues." Goodman's star soloists--James, Krupa, Elman, Hampton, Wilson, and the always-underrated Jess Stacy, shine. (Dig Stacy on St. Louis Blues! And Elman, the first trumpet soloist, plays one of the most well-balanced, thoughtful solos he ever made. Thank goodness this was recorded.) The sound is excellent for the time, and is even better than on this CD release--as I said, the sound on the original vinyl surpasses this set. If you can find this used on vinyl in good condition (where it had a different title: "The Complete 1937-38 Jazz Concert No. 2") grab that instead of this. Otherwise this release is frustrating: five stars for the music, zero for Sony's repackaging.

If you've ever wondered what the excitement over great Goodman band of 1937-38 was all about, check out this collection of airchecks culled from those years. Included are flagwavers, ballads, trios, quartets, big hits and rare gems. From the roars that greet Harry James' four-bar blasts in "Ridin' High," to the spine-tingling rideout on "Roll 'Em" this two-disc set presents the Goodman Orchestra at its zenith.

All I can say is WOW! Experiencing Benny Goodman live in his glory years must have been an unforgettable experience. This two-disc compilation boasts wonderful sound quality, rippling excitement and in many cases, tracks that are superior to the released studio version. King Porter's Stomp live is incredible. Listen to Harry James' driving trumpet solo and Benny's clarinet solo, much different than the standard version.

What a marvelous collection this is, showcasing Benny's band at their apex and swinging more than they ever did afterward. Many of his greatest swing classics are included and the live versions absolutely mesmerize you. Listen to Bugle Call Rag, one of Goodman's brilliant and swingiest standards. The arrangement and instrumentation here are awesome. This is a song you can listen to 1,000 times and never weary of it.

If you are just beginning to sample Benny Goodman, this is a good place to begin. This set would serve as a worthy introduction to the King of Swing in his glory years.

In the early 50's I first purchased Benny Goodman's famous "Carnegie Hall Concert" and shortly after the follow-up, "Jazz Concert No 2". (Since 1993 also on the above, extended CD-album). Ever since I have regarded "No 2" as being Number One. There are one or two reasons for that, mainly the fact that "No 2" was produced from "airchecks" of late evening broadcasts from all over the United States. Therefore, the producer frequently had a number of versions of the same tune to choose from. Think of that! Scrapping a good version for an even better one, or for a unique one. No wonder it's so good! In his liner notes in the original LP-album, George Avakian wrote: "The fantastic success of the Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert album was one of those things which could happen only once in a lifetime. We hardly expected it to happen again. But it did. And it's even better!" I fully agree! And, contrary to the new CD-version of the Carnegie Hall Concert, there are no pops, hisses or crackles on this one (except for the closing number "Goodbye", 1 min. 6 sec., which I think is bearable.

Benny was the best. Maybe not the most easy to work with guy, but a virtuoso as yet unsurpassed on his instrument (my opinion). This CD is a MUST have rockin' stompin' great time. All the "Killer dillers" are here. The other reviewers have given the details so I will just add that Roll Em alone is worth the price of admission.

This music would get 5 stars, but the middling, so-so transfer must cost this set at least one star. Sorry.

I once had this music on vintage early 1950s LPs, and I was one of those who snapped up this CD set in April 1993, as soon as it hit the stores (i.e., in those quaint, pre-online days). I have to say (along with John Grabowski): what a botched opportunity. Granted, in 1992-93 - when this set was produced - today's advanced digital restoration techniques were in their infancy.

Still, this does not excuse :

(1) The excessive high-end filtering which, compared to the first-generation LPs, sometimes makes the music sound as if someone threw a beach blanket over the speakers. No doubt, this was symptomatic of the big-corporate mentality of "OUR PRODUCT MUST BE SLICK." It's as if some high-end-audio yuppie types might be OFFENDED at the presence of surface noise from 1937-38 air-checks ("Magnolia, fetch the smellin' salts; ah have thuh vapuhs").

In all fairness : whoever botched the sound, here, hardly owned the copyright on such behavior. Some CDs with Keith Hardwick's transfers of EMI's pre-war classical recordings - such as Bruno Walter's and Sir Tommy Beecham's Mozart - were afflicted with the same disorder. (I have communicated with a well-known 78-to-CD transfer expert, who, shortly before Keith Hardwick's death, met him in London and was told by Hardwick that this was the fault of excessive, EX POST FACTO noise filtering - NOT Hardwick's original work.)

(2) The original early 1950s "razor-blade" editing, done to eliminate some of the more conspicuous pops & clicks and leaving slightly noticeable time-jumps, were not repaired. Granted that

(a) The notes to ON THE AIR admit to this problem (truthfully describing them as moments when "the rhythm section lurches badly").

(b) The same notes indicate both the destruction of the original off-the-air acetates AND the detereorated condition of the first-generation tapes based on those acetates. Therefore, the kind of pristine restoration applied to BG's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert (see below), is not possible with ON THE AIR.

(c) Also granted that, as I said before, when this set was remastered in 1992-93, some of today's digital restoration techniques were either in their infancy - or yet to come. Still, couldn't some kind of digital 'elongation' have been effected to "fill out" those slight-but-noticeable "lurches" ?

Now, almost 10 years ago, with BG's 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert, SONY partially redeemed itself by replacing the wretched 1980s CD set with a superb transfer, based on the original acetates...Yes, there is noticeable surface noise, but also more visceral PRESENCE to the music than it ever had previously - even on the first-generation 1950 LPs (which I once owned).

Nevertheless, since then, I have naively hoped that, someday, SONY might "do better by" ON THE AIR - at least to some extent (i.e., digitally repairing those "lurches"), as they did with the 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert. No doubt, I'll morph into a teacup if I wait much longer - and of course that'd be my own fault. In the words of the great John Cleese (from the "Cheese Shop" Sketch ) : "It was an act of the purest optimism, merely to have posed the question."

You know you're in trouble when the liner notes of a SONY reissue contain disclaimers as to the quality of the source material, in this case spliced and worn tapes used for the original mid-50s lp version of this album (so the original acetates are decayed? missing? or Sony couldn't be bothered to track them down?). The results, as another reviewer accurately states, sound inferior to the vinyl pressings of the album relesed as "1937-1938 Jazz Concert" which was in print for many years and is not hard to find, hence a 4-star rating instead of the five stars merited by the performances.

The music is monumental. If you can only buy one Goodman collection, this is the one to have, even more so than the Carnegie Hall set which has its moments but is overall less exciting (and miserably remastered on the current CD incarnation). If you love swing and you can't find or play the vinyl edition, get this set and petition Sony/BMG to remaster it properly (even if they have to use a mint vinyl copy of the original lp... it's been done!).

As other reviewers have stated, this set contains absolutely top drawer live performances by Benny Goodman's great 1937-38 big band, as well as excellent trio and quartet tracks. If you like swing-era music, you won't go wrong here. And, as other reviewers have stated, the sound of this CD reissue is not what it could be.

I have a dub I made from the 1950's vinyl issue of these tracks, and it sounds much better than these CDs. The chief problem with the CDs is too much filtering of the high end, in order to reduce surface noise from the original disc sources. But the noise of the originals was quite acceptable to begin with, and the filtering used on the CDs takes away a lot of the definition of the sound. The result is not horrible, but the superiority of the LP issue is plainly evident in a comparison.

If you can't play vinyl, then by all means check out this CD set. But if you can play LPs and are willing to hunt down the original LP set, that's the way to go.

Undoubtedly,all the paformances in this album are , like "At Carnegie Hall 1938", the acme of Benny's musical career.(Of course everybody knows that.)In "Carnegie Hall" , we can feel the tention and excitement of Benny and his fellows under the atomospher of "The sanctuary of clasical music", and in this album we can feel the frenzy that Benny's band and his admirers radiated at the ballroom. Listening to the music played in front of an applausing,frantically-dancing audience,you will recognize that Benny's band was a bigstar of 1930's equal to Beatles in 1960's.There are so many people that admire Goodman's band in that days that I'm going to spotlight one person playing in this album.He is Teddy Wilson. I think Teddy's paformances here(and also in "At Carnegie" and Benny's studio recordings on Victor label) to be undoubtedly his best play in his career.(I think it's true also as to Gene Krupa.) You can comprehend the importance of Teddy in jazz-piano history on listening to the refined,well-controlled piano-touch and tasteful , fresh musical sense(you can hear it in "Nice work if you can get it","Have you mey Miss Jones","Time on my hands" etc.) that got out of powerfull and wild piano style of 1920's and led to modern jazz piano style of 40's and 50's.