From Spirituals To Swing (live compilation album)
by Various Artists

From EyeKanFly 10/03/2021 17:31 | #274621

This is a compilation of recordings from 2 concerts at Carnegie Hall on December 23, 1938 and December 24, 1939, and originally released in 1959. Both the concerts as well as the release were organized, recorded, and compiled by producer & talent scout John Hammond, also a civil rights activist. (Hammond was later responsible for starting or furthering the careers of many prominent musicians like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Aretha Franklin, and Leonard Cohen...not to mention Count Basie and Benny Goodman featured on this album).

Hammond's idea was to showcase the modern history of African American music, hence "from spirituals to swing". He invited many of the most prominent African American musicians of the time (as well as a number of white musicians who played jazz, swing, blues, boogie woogie, and other genres predominantly created by black musicians), and it was a tough sell to get these artists to perform for an integrated audience at Carnegie Hall. Adding to the tough sell, the whole thing was largely financed by the American Communist Party. It's astonishing that these concerts even happened.

But happen they did, and mostly due to the prominence of artists at this concert, the United States exploded into a boogie-woogie craze that lasted through much of the 40s. The importance of this concert's social and political ramifications are also not to be understated, since it was perhaps the most notable integrated event ever in the US.

The recordings themselves are about as good as can be from 1930s masters. The whole set is worth listening to just for the historical significance alone. If possible, I would recommend the re-released 1999 set which contains the FULL 2 concerts, rather than just the highlights as featured in the original 1959 LP release. Though both sets contain the jam session that closed out the 1939 concert, an absolutely STUNNING performance which featured Benny Goodman and Count Basie's full bands as well as Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons. It's at the end of the 1999 release (which has everything in roughly the order performed live) and in the middle of the 1959 release (which as far as I can tell isn't really in order).