Customer Reviews

Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Finally the complete concert is released on CD. I'm not a big jazz fan, but I bought the original CD issue of this in the 1980's and I bought this version. The new release contains the entire concert for this first time. Previous releases omitted 2 songs and edited the "Honeysuckle Rose" jam. This concert contains a lot of fantastic music and it shows off Goodman's best band at the height of their powers. As regards the sound quality, some are going to hate it. You need to remember that the original concert was recorded on state of the art 1938 technology, which meant it was recorded to lacquer disks, not vinyl tape, under what were essentially bootleg conditions. If anything, we should maybe be amazed that the sound is as good as it is. This reissue went back to the original "masters", which are the disks. The disks have tremendous surface noise - the original LP pressing probably wasn't that clean either. What is different about this is that the producers made no attempt to remove the surface noise because that would have removed part of the sound of the concert. They felt it was more important to preserve every note and nuance of the performance at the cost of having audible surface throughout the set. If you are expecting a clean, modern sounding recording, you will be unhappy with this. I compared my original CD to this one and this new release sounds more natural. It's clear that the original CD release (and probably the original LP) were tweaked a bit. The original CD sounds louder, but whoever produced it probably just turned up the volume and turned up the bass and treble to boot. Folks it's not going to get any better than this. Either you can live with the surface noise or you can't. If they had removed the surface noise and consequently some of the tonal frequencies at that range, some people would have flipped out at that, so either way someone is going to be unhappy. Finally, the liner notes, while informative, could have been better. We get a short teaser about how tracking down the original lacquer disks involved spurned lovers, gamblers, etc. but no details. Also, one of the liner notes writers blasts Goodman for asking a guitarist to solo in "Honeysuckle Rose", yet he admits that Goodman probably didn't realize that the man was not setup to play solo guitar. It seemed to me upon listening that Goodman was just trying to make sure that everyone had a chance to solo and had no sinister ulterior motive. If you want to see why Goodman was called the King of Swing and why this concert is so highly regarded you should buy this set.

I can't offer enough praise to Sony/Columbia Legacy for this outstanding remaster of the original acetates for Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall Concert of January 1938. Critiques offered at this venue seem to concentrate on the obviousness of the surface noise present on the original transcription discs. Let me go on record as both a jazz afficianado/broadcaster and someone with experience remastering old discs, that there are some cases where you have to retain some noise to preserve an integral part of the music signal.

I would rather hear the full mighty thwack and shimmer of Gene Krupa's drum kit with some intermittent surface crackle, than hear the event through the wooly gauze of "digital noise reduction." Such was the case of the '80's incarnation of this material on CD. And, in spite of assertions to the contrary, the original LP's of the early '50's were heavily filtered as well, with compressed dynamic levels to accomodate the restrictions of the vinyl groove.

Now, content-wise, this is our first opportunity to hear ALL of the Carnegie material: all of the applause, Benny's onstage announcements, musicians setting up, even the foot-stomping of those fans who were seated onstage. Plus, the missing tunes that were originally cut from the LP production because of surface quality. Friends, this is as close as we'll ever be sonically to an event that occurred 62 years ago. I, for one, will quickly adjust to some surface crackle in order to experience the spine-tingling roar of the 1938 Goodman orchestra in full cry. Buy this CD set, read the liner booklet, and listen. THIS is the way it was.

I wrote an earlier review and listed two problems with this CD. The first was the obvious surface noise. The second was the way that some tracks were abruptly chopped off. Since then, a few folks have risen to defend quality of this recording. Some of their reviews even seem to imply that dissatisfied listeners are somehow less astute than those who gleefully relish the crackles and pops. This is somewhat insulting, to say the least.

Let's understand something, first and foremost - this show was one of the greatest music perfomances of all time - period. It is for precisely this reason that the CD set is so disappointing. Finally, modern technology meets timeless performance, and the result is NOT something akin to sitting in Carnagie Hall that night. It's exactly like what it is - a digital copy of a scratchy sounding acetate. Just as the music is more distinct, so is the surface noise. I can't help but wonder what the release would have sounded like if they'd have even TRIED to cut the noise a little. Alas, it may be another twenty years before somebody tries again.

Yes, the release is a wonderful historic document that will continually warm the hearts of jazz scholars. It just would have been nicer to have a more listenable historic document for the rest of us.

So what should a potential buyer do? I guess in the end, this release is a must-have. The performance is that fantastic. Just know that it doesn't have the clean sound that we've come to expect, and due to the way the cuts are done, it is not always as listener friendly as we would expect.

This is a wonderful recreation of what transpired on January 16, 1938. Many consider that this concert legitimized Jazz for a mainstream audience. That issue may be debatable, but what is not debatable is the strength of the music.

While the LP and previous CD issue showed that this was a wonderful live concert full of soul and vitality, this new CD issue lets us listen in to the whole concert in real time (including moments of near silence as the band sets up). It is truly a wonder to listen to.

But as with all things this comes with a cost. Live recordings of the time were made on shellac 78 r.p.m. records. They were not recorded on tape. Thus, we're hearing what is in essence a CD recording of a vinyl record. Some may balk at the pops and crackles (this is most noticeable on Sing Sing Sing, particularly during Krupa's drum solo, but much quieter on other tracks); however, removing those pops removes a lot of the timbre and feel of the recording along with it. My opinion is that we have become so enamored with noise free sound that we forget what we lose in the process of removing that "noise". I have some Ellington CD's that have much less hiss and crackle but sound tremendously flat and lack resonance and depth in the piano and drums. I applaud Columbia for having the guts to release the record with surface noise to retain the original feel of the recording not to mention the wonderful resonance of Carnegie Hall.

So to everyone: chill out and enjoy a historic recording!

I grew up listening to my dad's 1950 Columbia LP, which I discovered at the age of 11 in 1973. I listened to it so often I memorized it, note for note. I bought new Columbia LPs in the mid or late 1970s, but they were electronically engineered to reduce the surface noise, and were like listening to the original with earplugs in--very muffled. I kept waiting for a real CD release. And here it is. Frankly, the two songs that were missing from the previous releases aren't worth much, but the restored "Honeysuckle Rose" jam is worth every penny. The sound quality on the new CD is about what Columbia's 1950 LP was--the scratches, clicks, and pops are in the same place. All this means is that my dad's record wasn't scratched as badly as I thought--this was the sound of the original master disks. I agree that it could have been cleaned up somewhat, but maybe the technology is still not in place to do justice to the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Oh well, it still beats having to play the old LP, and now I can toss out or sell my 1970s vintage disks. All in all, it's worth having because the music is great!

From Mozart to Fletecher Henerson I have never heard a bad note come out of this man. This great clarinetist, who put swing into a respectable and honored hall, who changed the face and sound of American Music and whose name alone could guarantee a full house no matter where, or what time, or what day, or for that matter, no matter what he played. The Carnegie Hall Concert is probably the greatest swing album ever recorded, with the help of the greatest swing band ever assembled and honored guests like Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Count Basie. It should be listened to in the Public Schools as well as in Julliard. It is a lesson in the perfection of swing music in its truest form. If you are not a fan of swing music before you listen to this album, you will be hooked forever, once you do hear it. I recommend this album with no reservations and with the firm conviction that if you have never heard it before, you are in for sounds that will make you unable to sit still, and if you have already listened to it, than there is no more to be said. Buy it, it is worth twice the price. Thank you.

This complete version on Legacy 65143 is an important historical document, but it's too bad that in releasing it Sony withdrew the eminently listenable Columbia G2K-40244 2-CD set (identical to the old LP set), which preserved nearly all of this wonderful concert, editing out the ruined portions, and the extraneous applause and talk. On the withdrawn old set, Disc 1 starts with "Don't Be That Way", omits the spoiled "Sometimes I'm Happy", and ends with "The Man I Love" as track 12. Disc 2 starts with "I Got Rhythm" and proceeds through "Sing Sing Sing", then skips "If Dreams Come True", ending with "Big John's Special" as track 11. Total times aren't indicated, but Disc 1 is 48:59, Disc 2 is 53:03. The sound on this set isn't audiophile quality, of course, but it's still amazingly clean and clear throughout, much better than might be expected for a 1938 recording. This was issued in a regular 2-CD box, not slimline, titled "Benny Goodman - Live at Carnegie Hall" (without the word "Complete"), and the front cover carries the logo "Columbia Jazz Masterpieces"; it is NOT a Columbia/Legacy issue. The Legacy "Complete" was issued in 11/99, so there may still be copies of this old version around somewhere. It's well worth hunting for.

I've been waiting for complete version of "Benny at Carnegie 1938" to be issued for long time. I came across the CD at record shop a few days ago and I jumped!! This new version, not only contains previously-unissued tracks, but also has more fresh presence of this concert in it than old-version CD. (As to the recording condition, only one thing I think to be unfortunate is existance of disk skating spot in original 78rpm-disk �\ the third chorus of Buck Claton's trumpet solo in "Honeysuckle Rose".(previously unissued track)�@Maybe it was caused by a flaw beyond repair of original disk ,or some error on recording) Anyway, if you have not listened to 1930's "swing era" jazz ever , I do recommend you to listen to this CD at first. Possibly,you might think that these sounds are rather unrefined ,old-fashoned ,or even odd at your first time listen because you are accustomed to modern jazz with more expanded rythm, or many other contemporary music with good recording condition. But if you keep listning ,you will realize that all performances in this CD is abundant in thrill ,tension and spontaneousness that only real jazz of that period can have.

"The performance is always more important than the sound. If I had a choice between a great-sounding mediocre performance or a mediocre-sounding great performance, I would always choose the latter." --John Hammond

I cannot believe the reviews complaining about scratches in a recording master that is *sixty* years old. Would these same people not bother to see Leonardo's Mona Lisa because the paint is faded, or there are cracks in it? The quality of the sound is remarkable for the age (no one initially thought to preserve these discs because no one thought they were anything special at first), and yes, these same scratches--most of them--were indeed present in the original vinyl and CD releases. But engineers muted the tops to eliminate the surface noise. In the process they also cut off a lot of the textures, such as some light Krupa cymbal brush work and the true difference in the trumpet sound of Harry James, Ziggy Elman and Chris Griffin, now restored. It's amazing to me that people hear the extra noise but don't hear all the extra MUSIC content, or the fact that there are subtle but significant pitch corrections at the end of at least two numbers, "I Got Rhythm" and "Avalon." (The original discs were recorded on a machine that slowed down as it neared the end of a side. For the 1950 release a special turntable was built that compensated, but I'd assume we can build an even more accurate turntable today, hence the better correction.) Are people so spoiled that all they hear is dB dynamic range and hiss? Notice the lack of comments in these reviews about the *musical* revelations contained in this set. Has anyone notice that the grace note that begins "Don't Be That Way" was lobbed off the original CD issue and has finally been restored? That speaks volumes about what people listen for today--surface glitter, but not music. So in short, if you're a strict audiophile, avoid this release--or, and here's another suggestion no one seems to have thought of, turn down the treble button or EQ bands, since that's basically what Schapp would have done if he'd processed the sound electronically anyway. But if you're not a lazy listener, you'll learn to listen to the music, and then you won't have time to notice the hiss.

Some great things to listen for in the new issue: Krupa's nice cymbal work on the opening number, the magnificent sound of the ensemble in "Blue Reverie," James' superb bridge in his first chorus on "Life Goes To A Party," *everything* on "Life Goes To A Party," Buck Clayton's great restored third chorus in "Honeysuckle Rose," Krupa's swinging (for once not banging) drumming in "Avalon" and "Dizzy Spells" (listen by contrast how monotonous and thomping he is in "Stompin At The Savoy"), and the gradual transformation of "Sing Sing Sing" from a Krupa bangfest to a pensive, moody piece of impressionism.

The extra time spent with applause and set-up just takes the listener there and gives a better impression of what that night was like. Yes, there are a few spots where the procession lags, and to make this a better "album" one would snip them. But I'd consider this to be a historical document, and as such I'm interested in how it all went down. Plus long pauses are standard even today in "serious" music concerts, and in 1938 Carnegie Hall was as serious as it got.

Some myths to clear up:

- John Hammond did not commission this recording, this concert, or anything else relating to January 16th, 1938. He said years later this one of the few major events in Goodman's career he had nothing to do with, despite the credit he often received.

- This concert was not recorded with a single overhead mike. At least four total were used. More about this in Ross Firestone's excellent biography on Benny, Swing Swing Swing, which is required reading for Goodman fans.

- These recordings never went to the Library of Congress. Nor were they supposed to.

- Despite being listed on all the LPs, the first CD and *this* CD as a participant, Vernon Brown did not blow one note on "Honeysuckle Rose." Just listen.

- Benny does not say "You take it," "Hey, Jess," or anything else it's claimed he says at the start of Jess Stacy's "Sing Sing Sing" piano solo. If you listen closely, it sounds like he's saying "Here kitty." Perhaps the overhead microphone was being lowered closer to Stacy's quiet piano, and Goodman was making a joke.

This is a well-produced set. Great text and photos in the booklet, too. (Incidentally, for those interested in classical music, Bruno Walter's famous live recording of Mahler's 9th Symphony, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, took place the very same day half a world away. Another historic recording you should check out. Unless, again, you're scared of surface noise.)

For the first time, you can get Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert as it was originally recorded, start to finish.

Many Goodman fans don't realize that all of the issued recordings of this concert, before this one, were heavily edited. Two of the songs were left out, pieces of solos were cut out, and applause was either cut short or spliced into places where it wasn't originally.

This issue includes everything from the original recordings, down to the sounds of the band changing their setup between some numbers, in continuous real time.

The sound quality is a great improvement over the previous issues, which I now realize are like listening to THIS issue from behind a closed door! The credits admit that they had to leave in some surface noise in order to preserve the clarity of the original discs, but this is very minor.

The set also includes introductions to the songs that Benny recorded in 1950 to go along with the original issue. These were on a separate record sent to DJs, with suggestions on ways to use them. On the set, they are the last tracks, and do not interfere with the concert. His comments are interesting, if brief. Benny never seemed to say very much about anything !

If anyone connected to the production of these CDs should happen to read this comment, I want to thank you so very much. This fills a giant hole that existed in anyone's Goodman collection, until now. This is very possibly the most important Goodman issue that has ever been, or will ever be done.