Carnegie Hall Concert [Live]

Amazon.com
Back when it took a computer the size of the Pentagon to do long division, Lenny Bruce was the personification of hypertext, connecting ideas through puns, jokes, impressions, and the weaving together of complex tales. As Don Friedman says in his spoken introduction to this prestigious gig by America's (then) "nastiest" nightclub standup act, it's not Bruce that's nasty per se, but society. And while that's true, Bruce was dirty--a master of filth, from sexual innuendo to dirty words. In addition to all that heavy stuff, he gives you everything that was totally funny in second grade and still is, including the shaggy-dog story. Sure, there's a lot going on; you have to listen to it a dozen times to get the hushed-breath synaptic leaps uttered in between the big jokes that aim for the bleacher seats. This set is Lenny Bruce in rare form, at his most soberingly funny. --Mike McGonigal

Carnegie Hall Concert,Lenny Bruce,Blue Note Records,Beat Poetry,Comedy,Observational Humor,Political Comedy,Pop,Satire,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word Comedy,Standup Comedy

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Average customer rating: Short on Music Clapping, stomping, and whistling nothing like koln An intriguing artist Different

The Carnegie Hall Concert Keith Jarrett Manufacturer: Ecm Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Köln Concert Metheny / Mehldau Keith Jarrett - Tokyo Solo Sound Grammar The Melody At Night, With You ASIN: B000H4VXGE Release Date: 2006-09-26

Tracks:

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3
4. Part 4
5. Part 5

Tracks:

1. Part 6
2. Part 7
3. Part 8
4. Part 9
5. Part 10
6. The Good America
7. Paint My Heart Red
8. My Song
9. True Blues
10. Time On My Hands

Amazon.com

Since being afflicted in the late '90s with chronic fatigue syndrome, which kept him on the sidelines for several years, Keith Jarrett has had to reinvent himself as a performer. It's no slight on his classic live recitals of the past to suggest that has proven to be a fruitful development. In moving away from his long, inwardly streaming, lyrically sustained works and adopting a more easygoing episodic approach, he has become more accessible (and less windy) without sacrificing intensity or the freedom to draw upon all manner of styles including blues, gospel, and Americana. Recorded in 2005, The Carnegie Hall Concert features a 10-part piece that runs a gamut of moods and emotions. The enjoyable encore portion consists of three new originals, including a standard, "Time on My Hands," and a rare, enthusiastically received Jarrett oldie, "My Song," from the '70s. This is the 61-year-old artist's 25th solo album for ECM--most in a jazz genre but some classical, most on piano but some on organ and harpsichord and even wind instruments. It leaves you looking forward to number 26. --Lloyd Sachs 

Album Description

Keith Jarrett is nothing less than a living legend. Audiences flock to his rare performances in the world's finest concert halls, and it is his unique ability to create music in the moment that has made him most famous - his spontaneous improvisations often sound as if they've been carefully composed over time. His 1975 album, The Köln Concert, catapulted him onto the world stage, and - at 4 million copies and counting - is the best-selling solo piano recording of all time. In 2005, Keith Jarrett played his first US solo concert in a decade on the stage of Carnegie Hall, America's most celebrated venue. One year later to the day, this electrifying night of music will be released.

Customer Reviews:

Short on Music.......2007-07-30

Keith Jarrett is always good, but this CD is the shortest in playing time that I have ever heard. I have to wonder if something is missing. Wouldn't recommend buying the CD.

Clapping, stomping, and whistling.......2007-06-16

The piano playing is okay, but if you love clapping, stomping and whistling you'll love this recording, because it has about 10 minutes of it.

nothing like koln.......2007-05-30

This concert is light years away--and in the wrong direction--from Jarrett's amazing and melodious Koln concert. The concert portions, all of disc 1 and part of disc 2, in my view, are disjointed unharmonious performances. The last 5 entries on disc 2 are moving and one would have hoped that much more of that tone would have found its way into the concert itself. The length of the applause excerpts could have been narrowed considerably without affecting appreciation of the latter.

An intriguing artist.......2007-05-27

Keith Jarrett keeps on improvising and intriguing the mind, I am not sure that I could follow or understand it all but it is the journey into sound and mind that is intriguing.

Different.......2007-05-12

Keith Jarrett is an excellent piano player, but since this recording was a Carnegie Hall Concert, it wasn't what I expected. I personally didn't care for the selections on the recording. MaryLou Hall

Average customer rating: Better than I could have imagined Fantastic Sensational! Truly wonderful! WHAT AN AWESOME PERFORMANCE!

South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall Richard Rodgers , Oscar Hammerstein II , Reba McEntire , Brian Stokes Mitchell , and Alec Baldwin Manufacturer: Decca Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall Brian Stokes Mitchell Harry On Broadway Act 1 Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests Sweeney Todd (2005 Broadway Revival Cast) ASIN: B000EMG9AY Release Date: 2006-04-18

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. Dites-Moi / Oh, and what's that flower over there?
3. A Cock-Eyed Optimist
4. So when you joined the Navy...
5. Twin Soliloquies
6. One waits so long for what is good
7. Some Enchanted Evening
8. Dites-Moi (Reprise)
9. Bloody Mary
10. Say, is that a boar's tooth bracelet on your wrist?
11. There Is Nothin' Like A Dame
12. Ah, hello... you make trouble for me?
13. Bali Ha'i
14. Bali H'ai (Reprise)
15. So tell us, Nellie, what did old Ironbelly want?
16. I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair
17. Hello, is that a new American song?
18. Some Enchanted Evening (Reprise)
19. Will you come to my party Friday?
20. A Wonderful Guy
21. What should I do, Captain? / Bali H'ai (Reprise)
22. You wait, Lootellan...
23. Younger Than Springtime & Bali H'ai (Reprise)
24. A Wonderful Guy (Reprise)
25. This Is How It Feels & A Cock-Eyed Optimist (Reprise)
26. Finale Act 1 - Some Enchanted Evening (Reprise)
27. Entr'acte
28. Happy Talk
29. It is my great pleasure to bring you our skipper...
30. Honey Bun
31. You've Got To Be Carefully Taught
32. This Nearly Was Mine
33. Well, de Beque, I take off pretty soon for Marie Louise...
34. Some Enchanted Evening (Reprise)
35. Alright, Let's Start Those Trucks... / Honey Bun (Reprise)
36. Finale Act 2 - Dites-Moi (Reprise)

Amazon.com

From the second the majestic overture of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1949 show starts, you know you're in for a treat: In this age of diminished Broadway pits, hearing the 45-piece Orchestra of St. Luke's firing on all cylinders is just thrilling. And that's only the beginning of the fun in this most traditional, most delightful musical, recorded live at Carnegie Hall in June 2005. As Nellie Forbush, Reba McEntire deploys a homespun Southern charm that works marvels against the urbane Emile de Becque, i.e., Brian Stokes Mitchell and his impossibly buttery baritone (check out his rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening"). Of course we shouldn't be surprised, since country star Reba had turned out to be musical-theater star Reba when she replaced Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway. Here, she brightly delivers classics (yes, the show is packed with them) like "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "A Wonderful Guy." And let's not forget Lillias White, chewing the scenery in spectacular fashion as Bloody Mary ("Bali Ha'i," "Happy Talk"--what was that about the show being packed with memorable tunes again?). When the classic American musical is done with such gusto, it's hard not to be won over. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

Better than I could have imagined.......2007-06-09

To compare this recording with the original cast recordings of the 1950's is like comparing a jr. high science experiment with a space shuttle launch. Reba McIntyre is wonderful, giving a slight country twang just where and when it was needed (wasn't Nellie from Arkansas, after all?) And what can one say about Mr. Mitchell? That booming baritone filled every nook and cranny of Carnagie Hall, and his clever, halted, French-accented dialogue made his character interpretation enjoyable and realistic. Danieley and White were probably who Rogers and Hammerstein had in mind when they wrote this musical. I loved every song and every word of dialogue.

Fantastic.......2007-05-14

A great recoding. I think Reba makes a much more believable Nellie than Mary did. I keep it in my car, to play frequently.

Sensational!.......2007-03-25

I approached watching this production on PBS with some trepidation, especially after the R&H organization's last attempt at mounting this piece, that hideous television film version with Glenn Close.

I was especially wary of the casting of a "country" singer to play Nellie. But Reba's warmth and sincerity in the role won me over. This was a splendid choice. Nellie is indeed a "hick" and Reba takes that character clue quite literally. Though the role was originally written for a girl from Texas, Mary Martin, she never took the character too far in that direction, at least from the evidence of the cast recording and the television performances I've seen. But Reba does, quite courageously, never totally shedding her "country" approach to the role, and yet, really singing it! Quite an achievement.

The rest of the casting achieves the same level of perfection. Stokes-Mitchell is not quite an opera singer (the role was written for Ezio Pinza, an operatic bass-baritone) but he manages the part nicely, though his "French" accent is a little inconsistent. Alec Baldwin is totally hilarious as Billis, taking the role in another direction than others have, but it works.

Someone here commented on the casting of black actors in the Polynesian roles, rather than using Asian actors. I would normally agree with the writer, but not in this instance. This show was written in 1949 to directly address the racial inequality between blacks and whites in mid-century America in a way that had never been done before, and in the orginal production, black actors were used to make just that point. This is an attempt to do an "authentic" production, true to the show's original intent. So I respect the producers' decision in this production.

This concert performance is "authentic" in that it uses all of Bennett's original orchestrations, which are a joy to hear, and most if not all of the dialogue, keeping all the songs in their original context. Some songs that never made sense to me in the original cast recording, heard here in context for the first time, suddenly make total sense.

In a way, I prefer the CD of thios performance to the video presentation. One can listen to it and imagine this is NOT a concert performance, but a fully staged one, with a live audience present. It's quite an authentic experience. I did not see the original Broadway production, but I did see the New York City Opera's revival in 1965, and this audio recording helps me relive those memories of a live stage performance.

Truly wonderful!.......2007-02-06

"South Pacific" seems to be one of those "forgotten" classics of the musical theatre. The score is magnificent, and the overture is enough get a dead man's heart beating again.

There's not enough to say about Brian Stokes Mitchell. I first saw him in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and haven't missed his starring roles since them. His version of "This Nearly Was Mine" gave me chills. He is a truly gifted performer.

Reba McIntire is obviously having a great time with the role of Nellie Forbush. She's endearing in the role, and I hope she finds other avenues besides country music to show off her talents.

I liked Alec Baldwin's portrayal of Luther very much. He's not exactly a major musical talent, but he gives it all he's got.

Very highly recommended!

WHAT AN AWESOME PERFORMANCE!.......2007-02-01

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RENDITION OF THE STAGE PLAY. I LISTEN TO IT AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, OFTEN DAILY. YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Average customer rating: A very good concert, and a decent recording Finally the 1938 concert without the static! THE classic swing era concert SUPERB REMASTERING OF MILESTONE JAZZ CONCERT Uneven

Complete Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert 1938 Benny Goodman Manufacturer: Jasmine Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of Benny Goodman Ellington At Newport 1956 The Complete Capitol Trios Complete RCA Victor Small Group Master Takes Sing, Sing, Sing ASIN: B000HWXGDO Release Date: 2006-10-09

Tracks:

1. Don't Be That Way
2. Sometimes I'm Happy
3. One O'Clock Jump
4. Sensation Rag
5. I'm Coming Virginia
6. When My Baby Smiles at Me
7. Shine
8. Blue Reverie
9. Life Goes to a Party
10. Honeysuckle Rose
11. Body and Soul
12. Avalon - Benny Goodman Quartet
13. Man I Love - Benny Goodman Quartet
14. I Got Rhythm - Benny Goodman Quartet

Tracks:

1. Blue Skies
2. Loch Lomond
3. Blue Room
4. Swingtime in the Rockies
5. Bei Mir Bist du Sch
6. China Boy
7. Stompin' at the Savoy - Benny Goodman Quartet
8. Dizzy Spells - Benny Goodman Quartet
9. Sing, Sing, Sing
10. If Dreams Come True
11. Big John's Special

Album Details

The Complete Concert Has Been Digitally Remastered and Captures Goodman and his Orchestra at the Peak of their Performance. Guests Include Count Basie.

Customer Reviews:

A very good concert, and a decent recording.......2007-04-12

The band was in top form, and it's lots of fun to listen to. Good solos by various members, a lively beat, and great tunes.

Best played loud.

Finally the 1938 concert without the static!.......2007-03-28

A great remake of the best jazz concert ever. Cleaning up the sound makes this CD a treat to listen to over and over

THE classic swing era concert.......2007-03-19

Much has been written about Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall 1938 concert. Very little about this brilliant edition, and its masterful sound restoration by Bjorn Almstedt. At last this classic swing era concert sounds like the time when the LP came out: a full, warm, authentic sound, far from the horrible CD edition that has been on the market for many years. Make sure you get this version: it's worth every cent, you'll love playing it again and again, and marvel at the likes of Goodman and his many great associates: Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, Jess Stacy, and a host of swing and jazz legends. Among them Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Cootie Williams, three immortal Ellingtonians, who play 'Blue Reverie'. When I heard this piece for the first time, in 1967, I instantly became a fan of the music of Duke Ellington. That's 40 years ago ...

SUPERB REMASTERING OF MILESTONE JAZZ CONCERT.......2007-01-24

Amongst celebrated dates which exist in popular music, 16th January 1938 denotes the day the Benny Goodman Orchestra played the rarified environs of New York's Carnegie Hall - previously designated as the dignified home of classical music. Initially conceived as a publicity stunt to enhance Goodman's increasing popularity, this was the very first time a jazz ensemble had ever played this venue and despite initial coolness towards the event, the sell-out performance left no doubt that swing dance bands provided the latest craze which could no longer be ignored.

Fortunately, the Concert was recorded but in comparison with today's technology the methods and equipment used at the time were relatively crude. The outcome was acceptable but the acetates were filed away and not rediscovered until 1950 when their transfer to vinyl resulted in a million-plus selling album-set. The back-up aluminium masters were also lost for decades but when located in 1998, they formed the basis for a CD set released by Sony the following year. Unfortunately the re-mastering failed to filter out numerous surface imperfections, clicks and hiss with the overall shrill sound lacking depth, much to the disappointment of many buyers who were quick at making their views known concerning such an outcome which could only be regarded as a botched job. Subsequently, other record companies released the Concert with attempts using ongoing developments in technology enabling a degree of improved sound. However, this new Jasmine release has succeeded in both cleanly removing annoying defects and managing to furnish an overall warmer sound without compromising the music, the excitement and ambiance of the occasion and venue.

It's now possible to enjoy interludes by Benny's trio and quartet as well as the full orchestra with the lengthy version of HONEYSUCKLE ROSE played as a jam session and starring such luminaries as Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Count Basie, Harry James and Johnny Hodges. That old Goodman favourite, AVALON brings vibraphonist Lionel Hampton to the fore and other stellar names involved include Ziggy Elman, Teddy Wilson and Bobby Hackett. Supplying necessary glamour, vocalist Martha Tilton, handles LOCH LOMOND and BEI MIR BIST DU SCHON with great style. Of course the highlight is SING, SING, SING, with Jess Stacey's spontaneous piano interlude equaled by typical star drumming from Gene Krupa with his tom-tom rhythms stirring up enthusiasm of the highest order. Carnegie Hall would henceforth open its doors and embrace performances by dance bands, jazz instrumentalists and popular vocalists. This finely-tuned re-mastered recording will ensure this event continues to be cherished as a jazz milestone.

Uneven.......2006-12-25

It is well established that Benny Goodman's 1938 swing concert at Carnegie Hall was pivotal in "legitimizing" jazz as a musical art form among the general public-especially the white audience. My jazz collection is weak on swing and heavy on bebop. So, I decided to purchase this CD. I have some mixed feelings regarding the quality of the music as well as the sound.
First, the choice of music is very uneven. While some pieces are timeless, others are just plain corny and dated! Goodman's intention was to present a history of jazz from its beginnings in New Orleans to 1938 New York. The musical execution is of high quality. But, this is no surprise, as Goodman was known to be a perfectionist. Ellington and Basie band members who "jammed" with Goodman's Orchestra on this date were at the peak of their careers.
Second, the original sound recording is very poor. At the time, Goodman was not aware the concert was being recorded and only found out weeks later. There is only so much modern technology can achieve with such poor originals. Bjorn Almstedt did a great job restoring the original audio. Unfortunately, he had an almost Herculean task. Some of the soloing is so low as to be almost inaudible. Regardless, this is an important recording in the history of jazz and it provides some enjoyable listening moments.

Average customer rating: Not _Quite_ Uncut Superb, a songwriter / singer for his time, and for today also Humanity's songster Still Singing WHEN PETE WAS " KING"

We Shall Overcome: Complete Carnegie Hall Concert Pete Seeger Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music Revival | Folk | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music Folk Music | Children's Music | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope & Struggle American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1 We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions The Essential Pete Seeger ASIN: B0000026V0 Release Date: 1989-10-10

Tracks:

1. Audience
2. Banjo Medley: Cripple Creek/Old Joe Clark/Leather Britches
3. Lady Margret
4. Mrs. McGrath
5. Mail Myself to You
6. My Rambling Boy
7. A Little Brand New Baby
8. What Did You Learn in School Today?
9. Little Boxes
10. Mrs. Clara Sullivan's Letter
11. Who Killed Norma Jean?
12. Who Killed Davey Moore?
13. Farewell
14. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
15. Didn't He Ramble (Fragment)
16. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
17. If You Miss Me At The Back Of The Bus
18. I Ain't Scared Of Your Jail
19. Oh Freedom

Tracks:

1. Audience
2. Skip To My Lou
3. Sweet Potatoes
4. Deep Blue Sea
5. Sea Of Mercy (Fragment)
6. Oh Louisiana
7. (The Ring on My Finger Is) Johnny Give Me
8. Oh What A Beautiful City
9. Lua Do Sertao (Moon Of The Backland)
10. The Miserlou
11. Polyushke Polye (Meadowlands)
12. Genbaku O Yurusumagi (Never Again The A-Bomb)
13. Schtille Di Nacht (Quiet Is The Night)
14. Viva La Quince Brigada (Long Live The Fifteenth Brigade)
15. Tshotsholosa (Road Song)
16. This Land Is Your Land
17. From Way Up Here
18. We Shall Overcome
19. Mister Tom Hughes's Town
20. Bring Me Li'l' Water Silvy
21. Guantanamera

Amazon.com essential recording

Pete Seeger, who began recording in the early 1940s, is perhaps the most influential figure in the American folk revival, a walking repository of song who's had an immense influence in popularizing folk music with mainstream audiences. The 2 CD We Shall Overcome is an expanded version of a classic 1963 live album that offers an excellent example of Seeger's activist passion and good-humored humanity. This expanded edition contains the entire 40-song concert, making it almost three times longer than the original vinyl incarnation. The typically eclectic and heartfelt program, encompassing civil-rights anthems and anti-war pleas, along with tunes from England, Russia, Brazil, and the Caribbean, provides an excellent introduction to the artist. --Scott Schinder

Customer Reviews:

Not _Quite_ Uncut.......2007-05-22

This is a great recording, but it should be noted that "Wimoweh", which is on the original Columbia Records LP, is not present here, presumably because of the immensely complicated issues surrounding the copyright of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". This is a mild disappointment, since it would have been nice to hear Pete teaching the song to the audience, something rarely heard in recordings.

Superb, a songwriter / singer for his time, and for today also.......2007-01-18

Pete Seeger, is a "one-off". An exceptional talent and a great human being. We need to be listening to his music today. It is still as important and relevant as when he was touring America and giving concerts like this one.
I first heard and fell in love with his style and message in the mid 1960s, on vinyl LPs. I loved his music and his message. So did Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and many others. Pete, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, The Weavers were important influences on Dylan and Baez, and many others. Their messages and active involvement in important social and political issues of their day had a great influence. Unfortunately it is still relevant today.
Please keep this wonderful music available to today's generation and future ones too. Eventually humankind 'might' get the message. I hope so.

Humanity's songster.......2007-01-09

Back in the mid-1950's I attended a summer camp in New Hampshire for 5 years. For most of those years, sometime in the middle of the summer a tall, lanky redhead came striding up the camp's dirt road with two instrument cases slung across his back. He'd stay with us for 10 days or so, and every night we'd meet in the rec hall or by the lake and he'd teach us songs and sing with us. There was a small group of us who played instruments like guitar or (in my case, at that point) mandolin, and he'd meet with us and teach us. All I knew about him was that his name was Pete, that he had an amazing and inspiring, trumpet-like voice, infectious optimism and charisma, and that we all sang alot better when we was there than when he wasn't.

I had no idea who Pete was, what his last name was, or anything more about him until my 4th year at camp, when my counselor, who was a banjo player, filled me in (and refused to play in front of Pete because he was embarrassed). "The Weavers at Carnegie Hall" had just come out, and I got that album and lo and behold, most of those songs were ones we'd learned from Pete and there was that amazing voice, that banjo, the driving rhythms, and the charismatic presence bringing people together to sing better than they ever knew they could. Pete was blacklisted then, and made his living going from schools to colleges to summer camps; there were many kids like me who grew up with Pete's warm and human influence.

Any recording of a Pete Seeger concert will give you an inkling of what it was like to be with him, but this one is special -- it's complete, it's long, it's very human, and it catches Pete at the height of the folk music revival and before the crucible of the late-1960's. It's all here. I suspect you'll find yourself singing along, stamping your feet, and at the end feeling a lot better about yourself, more committed to making life better for yourself and others, and more optimistic about this world. That's the hallmark of Pete's humanity. He wanted people to be involved, he disliked passive media like TV and recordings, and he played and inspired his audiences like an extension of his beloved banjo and guitar.

Yes, Pete was a member of the Communist Party from 1941 to 1949, but whether his songs after 1949 reflect, or were driven by, his affiliation (as another reviewer suggests) is, I believe, incorrect. Pete's songs were always guided much more by his native optimism, his love of people and the planet, his belief that songs and singing can somehow make a difference, his curiosity and openness, his response to the events around him (which actually made him more radical as he (and we) progressed through the 60's and 70's) and, yes, his open-hearted humanity.

No matter what your affiliation, and even if you've never heard a folk-song record in your life, you deserve to hear this one and let your spirit soar.

Still Singing.......2006-11-11

I've attended Pete's concerts for over 50 years. When you see him you sing. When you hear him you sing along, not necessarily well, but with fervor. This has always been a part of his concerts and this one is no different. What a joy to listen and sing. It is a timeless thrill and experience.

WHEN PETE WAS " KING".......2006-04-03

This review is being used to describe several of Pete Seeger's recordings. Although I have listened to most of his songs and recordings the ones selected here represent those that best represent his life's political and musical work.

My musical tastes were formed, as were many of those of the generation of 1968, by `Rock and Roll' music exemplified by the Rolling Stones and Beatles and by the blues revival, both Delta and Chicago style. However, those forms as much as they gave pleasure were only marginally political at best. In short, these were entertainers performing material that spoke to us., and we took that at face value. In the most general sense that is all one should expect of a performer. Thus, for the most part that music and those musicians need not be reviewed here. Those who thought that a new musical sensibility laid the foundations for a cultural or political revolution have long ago been proven wrong.

That said, in the early 1960's there nevertheless was another form of musical sensibility that was directly tied to radical political expression- the folk revival. This entailed a search for roots and relevancy in musical expression. While not all forms of folk music lent themselves to radical politics it is hard to see the 1960's cultural rebellion without giving a nod to such figures as Dave Van Ronk, the early Bob Dylan, Utah Phillips, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and others. Whatever entertainment value these performers provided they also spoke to and prodded our political development. They did have a message and an agenda and we responded to it as such. That these musicians' respective agendas proved inadequate and/or short-lived does not negate their affect on the times.

As I have noted in my review of Dave Van Ronk's work when I first heard folk music in my youth I felt unsure about whether I liked it or not. As least against my strong feelings about the Rolling Stones and my favorite blues artist such as Howling Wolf and Elmore James. Then on some late night radio folk show here in Boston I heard Dave Van Ronk singing `Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies' and that was it. From that time to the present folk music has been a staple of my musical tastes. From there I expanded my play list of folk artists with a political message, including obviously Pete Seeger.

Although I had probably heard Seeger's `Had I a Golden Thread' at some earlier point I actually learned about his music secondhand from a recording of Songs of the Spanish Civil War which included `Viva la Quince Brigada' a tribute to the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigades. Since I was intensely interested in that fight in Spain and in that "premature anti-fascist" organization I was hooked. While like Woody Guthrie Seeger's influence has had its ebbs and flows since that time each succeeding generation of folk singers still seems to be drawn to his simple, honest tunes about the previous political struggles and the ordinary people who made this country, for good or evil what it is today.

Pete's relationship with the American Communist Party while no secret is not widely known. As with Woody what is interesting is that the subjects of his songs fairly closely reflect the party line as it changed to reflect the winds blowing from Moscow. Pete's best work, like Woody's is reflected in the People's Front style of ` Where Have All The Flowers Gone' and the above-mentioned "Golden Thread" reflecting that party's further development of its class collaborationist policy with the Democratic Party. That is, giving up the fight for an independent working class party based on its won program. Politcal differences between us aside, listen to Seeger's recordings and learn about hard times and struggle from earlier times. You deserve to treat yourself to that voice, instrument and message.

Average customer rating: As good as it gets Some technical details and comments The complete concert, greatest live album ever made I'm Just Wild About Harry (Belafonte)! True talent, live

Live in Concert at the Carnegie Hall Harry Belafonte Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Calypso | Caribbean & Cuba | International | Styles | Music General | Caribbean & Cuba | International | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Broadway & Vocalists | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall Belafonte at Carnegie Hall Calypso Ultimate Collection Island in the Sun: 20 Golden Songs ASIN: B000006SUU Release Date: 1993-08-30

Tracks:

1. Introduction/Darlin' Cora
2. Sylvie
3. Cotton Fields
4. John Henry
5. Take My Mother Home
6. Marching Saints
7. Banana Boat Song (Day-O)
8. Jamaica Farewell
9. Man Piaba
10. All My Trials

Tracks:

1. Mama Look a Boo Boo
2. Come Back Liza
3. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)
4. Hava Nagila
5. Danny Boy
6. Merci Bon Dieu
7. Cucurrucucu Paloma
8. Shenandoah
9. Matilda

Album Description

bin 15110. Remastered reissue, part of RCA's Living Stereo series, for the esteemed vocalist's 1959 live concert recording. 19 tracks: 'Introduction/ Darlin' Cora', 'Sylvie''Cotton Fields', 'John Henry', 'Take My Mother Home', 'The Marching Saints', 'Day O', 'Jamaica Farewell', 'Man Piaba', 'All My Trials', 'Mama Look A Boo Boo', 'Come Back Lisa', 'Man Smart (Woman Smarter)', 'Have Nageela', 'Danny Boy', 'Merci Bon Dieu', 'Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma', 'Shenandoah' and 'Matilda'.

Album Details

Double CD Set. Recorded Live in New York. Part of RCA 'Living Stereo' Series.

Customer Reviews:

As good as it gets.......2007-03-08

A superb taking of a superb artist in a superb mood. Need a say moore?

If you only plans to own five CDs this must be one of them. Mr Bellafonte at his absolute best. I enjoy every second of this CD. Not only is it musically outstanding but it is also a true high fidelity record.

A CD not only for easy listening but also for true listening sessions!

Some technical details and comments.......2006-07-25

Tracks flow into each other with no "silence" between; its just like the "Living Stereo" black vinyl Long-Play records. All of the content on the LPs is indeed here. Awesome.

Sound quality is quite good. CDs were issued in Germany in 1993 (performance dates were 19 & 20 April 1959). There are no markings on the CDs indicating remixing, remastering or other processing. Despite this, the sound is a little more "natural" than my LP transfer which had that circa-1959 bass richness. This may be just coloration in my turntable set-up and the CD gets it right. There is minor tape hiss in the background noise. The dynamic range may have been increased. The CD allows me to hear more in the music than I ever heard before (musican banter, HB's breathing etc).

The CDs are a great replacement to the LPs transfers I had on my iPod. (I'm not sure yet if I'll miss the ticks and pops from the needle. It was kinda cool on an iPod.)

Regarding musicality; the other reviews have said it all. I agree that this is one of those rare recordings where everything is perfect. It is unthinkable that this concert could even have one second edited from it. I love this concert. It is genius.

The complete concert, greatest live album ever made.......2006-02-07

Harry Belafonte, is on of the greatest, most influential man ever born in the United States, as well as a hero to the world as well as to all Americans. Mr. Belafonte, World WarII veteren, who volunteered and was on the battlefield, and still serves his nation and the World, with his international travel on behalf of Unicef.
As far as his totally unique talent, this magnificant talent, shows all of his power, his heart, soul and love for all humanity with the best live album ever created.
I have a sentimental feeling about the famous Carnegie Hall concert since I grew up in blue collar family in Brooklyn attended this show. Growing up, I used th hear my parents play this many times on weekends, while doing their chores and nothingw ould light up their faces, create laughter, got them to sing, more than when they listened to the album of this Carnegie Hall concert.
I was about eleven or so when I started hearing it, and I have the album about memorized and grew up loving the album, Mr. Belafonte, his talent, his incredibly diverse careers, and non-stop dedication to all of humanity.
There is comments by an individual who does live the CD about how Harry did "novelty songs" in the second act. THOSE ARE NOT NOVELTY SONGS, THEY ARE FOLK SONGS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD. But I guess to an American, International folk music is a "novelty song". Grrr. I know the gentlemen who made that comment meant no harm, but I hope it is understood. Mr Belafonte is currently and has previously spent his life unfolding the cultures of nations from all over the world by singing and giving publicity to the great folk music that tells the story of the people of the world.

It is great that this import has the entire concert, but I have to admit that I am ashamed as an American, that it has to be AN IMPORT, that no American music company has taken the original tapes, re-mastered it with love as they would any major piece of history and re-released it. He was born in Harlem and is one of the great, great stories of someone who has lived the American dream. Please remember the racism he experienced as well as being blacklisted suring the McCarthy hearings. But nothing stops his optomism and love of humanity.

He talent is unequaled and no one delivers a folk song with more power, heart and soul.
Besides, he probably was the best guest the Muppets ever had.

A couple of quick pieces of info on Mr. Belafonte. Bob Dylan was recorded for the first time on a Harry Belafonte album, where Harry hired him as a harmonica player.
Mr. Belafonte is a graduate of the Actors Studio in N.Y. the produced a generation of great actors.
Calypso was the first album to sell 1 million copies, but how many people know that he followed that album up with a album where he read and discussed the works of the great American writer, Mark Twain.

Thank you Harry for this great album and the great memories you leave me listening to it and the great pleasure you gave to my late parents.

Jon

I'm Just Wild About Harry (Belafonte)!.......2006-02-04

Nowadays the "powers that be" (read: "murderous thugs within the Bush Administration")are on a campaign to depict Harry Belafonte as being mentally unstable. Why? Because he had the courage to point out the all-too-obvious fact that George W. Bush and the dirty old dingbats around him are the biggest sources of world instability since Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

It's nice to know that he's still Harry after all these years; Still holding up a mirror to a sick and hypocritical society that obviously doesn't like what's reflected.

Belafonte At Carnegie Hall, recorded on two nights in April of 1959 is, no doubt about it, the finest "Live" album ever recorded. All these years later it still has a freshness that is irresistable. The fact that it was recorded with state-of-the-art equipment, you can close your eyes and it's almost as if your sitting, front row. It's moving and riotously funny all at the same time. Trust me on this one kiddies, you won't be disappointed!

Pray for peace

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
tomdegan@froniternet.net

True talent, live.......2005-10-28

I grew up with this album that my parents had, unfortunately I recalled it as Belafonte RETURNS to Carnegie Hall. Thankfully I ordered this first, then later got Harry Returns (basically for Odetta and Miriam Makeba).

The man is brilliant in concert and it is unbelieveable they were daring enough to try to record these performances live. I shudder to think anyone currently who could pull this off (with the exception of Midler who thrives on a live audience).

Does Belafonte have an incredible voice and fantastic range? Not really. He has a great voice but the man has PASSION and intelligence in his hip pocket and he presents a priceless show.

It's amazing to me, now, to realize what a global attitude this man has, did I mention passion and intelligence? So I did, but it's well worth repeating.

I played this album for a 7th grade class and they ape over it -- they knew two songs from the movie Beetle Juice and insisted I download the lyrics. When it came time for Cucurrucucu Paloma they went wild (and the staff freaked when they heard it was a live performance) so I knew Mama Look a Boo Boo would be appreciated.

I know Mr. Belafonte is known and loved for many of his standards (basicaly Day-O) but I my faorite piece will always be Merci Bon Dieu. It's so beautiful, it's heartbreaking in a wonderful way.

I hate live albums because most artists cannot do live what they create in the studio. Not so with this -- he sounds even better live. A truly talented man with intelligence and passion -- darn, that's rare and very much appreciated, especially in the year 2005.

Average customer rating: I don't get it... A Critical and Hilarious Roadsign on the Highway of American Social History Lenny at his best.... Vintage Dirty Lenny... One More Note

Carnegie Hall Concert Lenny Bruce Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Poetry | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Country Comedy | Comedy | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Comedy & Spoken Word | Miscellaneous | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Live at the Curran Theater How to Talk Dirty and Influence People The Lenny Bruce Originals, Vol. 2 The Lenny Bruce Originals, Vol. 1 Let The Buyer Beware ASIN: B000005H1G Release Date: 1995-08-15

Tracks:

1. Introduction/Miracle On 5th Street/The Airlines/Sound/The Kidnap/Point Of View/Ku Klux Klan...

Tracks:

1. Las Vegas Tits And Ass/The Clap/Christ And Moses/Equality/Internal Revenue/Pills/Burlesque House...

Amazon.com

Back when it took a computer the size of the Pentagon to do long division, Lenny Bruce was the personification of hypertext, connecting ideas through puns, jokes, impressions, and the weaving together of complex tales. As Don Friedman says in his spoken introduction to this prestigious gig by America's (then) "nastiest" nightclub standup act, it's not Bruce that's nasty per se, but society. And while that's true, Bruce was dirty--a master of filth, from sexual innuendo to dirty words. In addition to all that heavy stuff, he gives you everything that was totally funny in second grade and still is, including the shaggy-dog story. Sure, there's a lot going on; you have to listen to it a dozen times to get the hushed-breath synaptic leaps uttered in between the big jokes that aim for the bleacher seats. This set is Lenny Bruce in rare form, at his most soberingly funny. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

I don't get it..........2007-01-30

I'm still waiting for a funny line from this icon of comedy.

After listening to it, and not laughing. I wonder if his lofty reputation is merely because he was persecuted and hounded so much for his so-called "obscene" language.

I feel sympathy for the horrors he experienced, but I don't find his act to be funny in this cd.

A Critical and Hilarious Roadsign on the Highway of American Social History.......2005-11-02

It's a crying shame that this is now unavailable. In the opinion of this Brucephile, "The Carnegie Hall Concert" is the most valuable document of what was great about Lenny Bruce and why he mattered. From a performance standpoint, he was at the height of his powers. From a social standpoint, this show was just prior to the beginnings of his problems with the law and features the best balance of his comedy and social commentary. Earlier than this, he was a bit "schticky" (as he often said himself). After the trials began, his understandable preoccupation with legalities began to imbalance his act (though he remained fascinating). Here, you get the undiluted best. I can't even pick out moments, because it should really be experienced as a whole. It's a 90-minute statement on where America stood in 1962, on the cusp of a social revolution, and it's brilliant.

Find this if you can. If you want to know why Lenny Bruce became an icon who deserves to be discussed alongside Kerouac, Kesey, Tom Wolfe, and Hunter S. Thompson; if you want a snapshot of our cultural mindset before the turbulence of the 60's erupted; or, if you just wanna laugh--Find this. Whatever it costs, it's a giveaway. It's a parchment of history.

Lenny at his best...........2005-08-31

On February 3, 1961, in the middle of one of the worst blizzards in New York City's history, Lenny Bruce walked onstage to a packed house at Carnegie Hall and for two solid hours, gave what all Lennyphiles agree was the greatest performance of his all-too-brief career.

To the uninitiated, this CD is as good a place as any to discover the genius of Lenny Bruce. Even now, almost 45 years later, The Midnight Concert is still screamingly funny; A testiment to Lenny's depth as a social commentater and comic philosopher. This was two years before the onset of the physical and mental decline that would end with his death, at age forty, from an overdose of heroin on August 3, 1966.

Why is Lenny Bruce remembered as a brilliant comedian all these years later? The answer is right here.

Happy listening!
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

tomdegan@frontiernet.net

Vintage Dirty Lenny..........2004-06-04

Like many jazz and blues musicians, Lenny Bruce was truly in his element when performing live. His studio recordings simply do not have the spontaneity of his live stuff. This is why his Carnegie Hall Concert is essential listening for any fan of Bruce or stand-up comedy in general. There would be no Eddie Izzard, Bill Hicks or a host of thousands of other comics without Lenny Bruce. He paved the way and was a pioneer.

Listening to this recording is to hear the man in his element, riffing off the crowd and going off on anything that came into his head. He zips all over the place and it is almost as if you can hear his mind at work, racing from topic to topic. While his material is dated at times, it is an incredible snapshot of the times he lived in. He brutually skewered social conventions (like how we refer to minorities) and was quite political as well. But most of all he was just damn funny and this performance shows him in great form.

This is easily one of the best live recordings of Lenny at his uncensored best. Before he got beaten down by endless obscenity trials and his slide in substance abuse. Essential.

One More Note.......2002-02-01

When Lenny Bruce performed at Carnegie Hall, the cabs weren't even running in New York. It was one of the worst snow storms that ever hit The City. Nobody could get out. Bruce filled the freaking hall...check out the liner notes. Even Jesus would have had a problem filling that gig up...maybe that's why the Church at large got so... off about the man, maybe not. Maybe it was just before 200 channels of cable showing nothing.

Average customer rating: Memories! A Masterpiece Sorry, un-listenable Digitalization of the past Depooper

Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Benny Goodman Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Sony | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics | Desktops | Monitors | Networking | Notebooks Similar Items: The Very Best of Benny Goodman Sing, Sing, Sing The Complete Decca Recordings Ellington At Newport 1956 Begin the Beguine ASIN: B00002MZ2L Release Date: 1999-11-02

Tracks:

1. Benny Goodman 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. Man I Love
20. I Got Rhythm
21. [Pause Track]

Tracks:

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 Sch
8. Applause/Setting-Up for BG Small Groups
9. China Boy
10. Stompin' at the Savoy - Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
11. Applause/BG Quartet Continues But Changes Program
12. Dizzy Spells
13. Applause/Transition Back to Goodman Orchestra for Finale
14. Sing, Sing, Sing
15. Applause Until Encores
16. If Dreams Come True
17. Applause for Second Encore
18. Big John's Special

Amazon.com

In jazz, live recordings not only document an artist or group's sound in its purest form but, in rare cases, herald the arrival of a musical genre. That's the case with this invaluable, two-CD collection that captures clarinetist Benny Goodman's historic 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, which exemplified the so-called "swing era." Originally released in 1950, it contains rare commentary from Goodman and music from the entire event, which was a unique mix of formality and spontaneity. Goodman's perfect intonation and lyrical improvisation front the big band here, featuring the smooth solos of trumpeter Harry James, the percussive power of Gene Krupa--jumping the blues on "Don't Be That Way"--and the Fletcher Henderson- arranged "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "One O'Clock Jump." Another segment of the evening, called "Twenty Years of Jazz," takes Goodman to New Orleans with a lickety-split reading of "Sensation Rag" and "When My Baby Smiles at Me." A spirited jam session follows with Count Basie on the keys, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophonists Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, and Harry Carney, along with trumpeter Buck Clayton. Goodman hangs tough with the crew on a rollicking read of Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose." The spotlight turns to Goodman's color-line breaking small combos. His trio with Krupa and the elegant, fleet-fingered Teddy Wilson on piano delivers a harmonically delicious version of "Body & Soul" that would give Coleman Hawkins's version a run for its money. When vibraphonist Lionel Hampton gets into the mix and makes it a quartet, the standards "Avalon," "The Man I Love," and "I Got Rhythm," as well as "Stompin' at the Savoy," are transformed into timeless vehicles of improvisation. The big band returns with growling grandeur on Irving Berlin's optimistic "Blue Skies" and the British Isle balladry of "Loch Lomond," with the majestic vocals of Martha Tilton. One listen to Goodman and company's rockhouse romp on "Sing, Sing, Sing" will testify to the success of this event, which still reverberates today. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Memories!.......2007-05-15

I've just purchased this CD for my father, who bought his original vinyl copy 50ish years ago while stationed in Bermuda in his navy days. the look of absolute pleasure on his face while listening to his favourites was a joy to see. his memory of every musicians turn was amazing. The availability of re-mastered recordings gave my dad the chance to revisit well loved music from his youth.

A Masterpiece.......2007-05-07

I bought my first BG Carnegie Hall recording in 1951 when I was a freshman at Bayside High School and used my hard-earned lawn cutting and snow shoveling money for the $10 or so that it cost then. This CD set cost about the same and that's great! I read ALL of the reviews and listened to most of the representative cuts before I decided on this particular issue. I was not disappointed...the attributes that make this such a classic are the music, the musicians, the Carnegie Hall acoustics and the audience interaction and I think Phil Schaap got it all, despite what all of these clueless "critics" have to say about the background noise. They remind me of the person who was offered a stay in a Frank Lloyd Wright house and said: "Yes, I know it's great architecture and it's one of a kind but I would not want to live there because the roof leaks when it rains."

Sorry, un-listenable.......2007-03-07

I'll keep this brief, since I see the noise battle has been raging. There is no excuse for the noise. Even in the car it's the popping and crackling that comes through more than the music.

I'm sorry I bought this Schaap set, but am glad to learn that the Avid label "Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert" is available on amazon. A search of on-line jazz forums indicates that is the one to buy. Save your money for the Avid release.

Digitalization of the past.......2006-09-30

I was hesitant in writing a review of this album for the same reason other reviewers disagree with each other. I got used to vinyl reissue I bought in the 80's (one of my first jazz records; I was still in high school), and few years ago I updated my collection with this version, that includes unabridged versions of some songs, a song never released before (deemed unsalvagable for restoration!) as well as few BG's authentic comments from the era when the music was first issued on vinyl...
My first reaction was confusion. Why o why did the industry opt for digitalization I asked myself... The vinyl I bought (Croatian record under CBS licence) was so much more pleasant; noise less annoying.

But, after few listening I somehow got used to even to this edition. Am I getting used to CD's (finally!)? Or to this CD's flaws?
Or is the answer quite simple: the music is so charming and exciting that no noise can spoil it for me?
My favorite moment is Jess Stacy's piano solo during "Sing sing sing", but there are also some beautiful big band sides (with BG blowing some really expressive clarinet), trio and quartet recordings equal to anythning produced in swing style, beautiful "Honeysuckle rose" jam sassion with Lester Young, Buck Clayton and company...

Finally, I am giving it five stars (I really am a great fan of this concert), but Im really wondering how would kids who never listened to vinyl react to this controversial CD attraction? Hm. Are there new kids who appreciate vintage swing?

Depooper.......2006-04-09

I tried the Depopper program recomended in the previous post, but no way am I going to keep those funked up files. I much prefer the imperfections of the recording. That program may eliminate the pops, but man, now it sounds like canned music inside another can wrapped in tin foil and submerged in a bubble bath. Ok, maybe not that bad, but the music certainly lost depth, and that's less acceptable than some poppage.

Average customer rating: Great CD Simply the Best Inconsistent, but mostly excellent "Celebration" is not strong enough a word A maginificent evening, a magnificent album

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast) Stephen Sondheim , Betty Buckley , Paul Gemignani , Patti LuPone , Liza Minnelli , and Bernadette Peters Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Hadley, Jerry | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music 1990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Side By Side By Sondheim (1976 Original London Cast) Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute (1973 Concert Cast) Send in the Clowns: The Ballads of Stephen Sondheim Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall / Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall ASIN: B000003FDW Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

1. Symphonic Sondheim: Sweeney Todd--orchestra, Jerry Hadley ("Johanna"), Eugene Perry,Herbert Perry ("Pretty Women")
2. Evening Introduction--Bill Irwin
3. Loveland/Getting Married Today--Ensemble, Jeanne Lehman, Mark Jacoby, Madeline Kahn
4. Waiting for the Girls Upstairs--George Lee Andrews, Michael Jeter, James Naughton/Love, I Hear--Michael Jeter/Live Alone and Like It--James Naughton
5. Someone Is Waiting--Richard Muenz/Symphonic Sondheim: Barcelona--orchestra
6. Being Alive--Patti LuPone
7. Good Thing Going--The Tonics
8. Losing My Mind/You Could Drive a Person Crazy--Dorothy Loudon
9. Our Time--Boys Choir of Harlem/Children Will Listen--Betty Buckley
10. Anyone Can Whistle--Billy Stritch
11. Water Under the Bridge--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch
12. Back in Business--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch, Ensemble

Tracks:

1. Symphonic Sondheim: Comedy Tonight--Bill Irwin, orchestra
2. Sooner or Later--Karen Ziemba
3. Pretty Lady--Mark Jacoby, Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry
4. Green Finch and Linnet Bird--Harolyn Blackwell
5. The Ballad of Booth--Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber
6. Broadway Baby--Daisy Eagan
7. I Never Do Anything Twice--BETTY
8. With So Little to Be Sure Of--Jerry Hadley, Carolann Page
9. Not a Day Goes By--Bernadette Peters
10. Remember?--Ron Baker, Peter Blanchet, Carol Meyer, Bronwyn Thomas, Blythe Walker (Quintet)/A Weekend in the Country--Kevin Anderson, George Lee Andrews, Mark Jacoby, Beverly Lambert, Maureen Moore, Susan Terry, Quintet
11. Send in the Clowns--Glenn Close
12. Old Friends--Liza Minnelli
13. Sunday--Bernadette Peters, Broadway Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2006-08-06

This is a wonderful double CD of fabulous musical numbers performed by theatre greats and directed by a legandary musical director.

Simply the Best.......2005-06-29

First, to the person who criticizes the recording b/c of "Broadway Baby." Daisy Egan (who sings in in this recording) sounds like she's 10 becuase she IS young. She had just appeared on Braodway in Secret Garden and won a Tony for it. It's a joke...Broadway BABY...hello, it's a joke.

In a compilation of songs like this you're always going to have tracks that you prefer over others, but the majority of the renditions in this CD are great. This is simply one of the best collections of Sondheim out there. You get interpretations that span from "classical" (Green Finch), to bordering on insane (Anything Twice). This is to demonstrate how versatile this composer really is.

In my opinion, some of the best renditions are "Not a Day Goes By," "Anyone Can Whistle", "Girls Upstairs Medley," "Losing My Mind/Drive a Person Crazy," and "Weekend inthe Country." Makes me wish I had been there to witness it first hand.

If you love Sondheim and enjoy hearing Broadway performers, get this CD. A great recording.

Inconsistent, but mostly excellent.......2004-03-21

I am sure no knowledgeable person would deny how absolutely perfect all these songs are. However, the performances on this album are extremely inconsistent. It will go from an excellent rendition (Waiting for the Girls medley, Sunday, With So Little To Be Sure Of, Sooner or Later, Green Finch, Send in the Clowns, Pretty Lady) to the weird (I never Do Anything Twice), to the bad (Broadway Baby, Our Time). I still have absolutely no idea how they managed to butcher one of the best songs ever written--Good Thing Going--and turn it into smooth jazz elevator music. Why would they give Broadway Baby to someone who sounds like she's 10? That said, Liza Minelli, Glenn Close, Karen Ziemba, Dorothy Laudon and the "Waiting for the Girls" performers are all very good. And ending with Bernadette Peters and "Sunday" ends the set on a absolutley fabulous note.

"Celebration" is not strong enough a word.......2003-04-30

This review is by Crosley.

I have been a major Sondheim fan for quite some time, and I finally obtained a copy of this album. I was blown away by the excellent cast and phenomenal selection of music. It is obvious how much work went into this production, considering that this is the live recording of a one time show, and it's flawless. The songs cover all of his shows with the exception of "Passion," which was released 3 years after this show. Also, the shows for which he wrote only lyrics are ommited, like West Side Story, Gypsy, etc. Thus, you can find material from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily we Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins.

There are two striking things about this CD (besides the music and performers themselves). First of all, some of the songs are completely stylistically reworked. The most obvious are "Good Thing Going" and "I Never do Anything Twice." Both are traditionally very ballady with a piano accompaniment, but here they have been redone as jazzy tunes. The result is excellent. Such reworkings demonstrate that Sondheim writes music for virtually any style, and in these cases, across several styles. It's a great example of his variety. The other interesting thing is how many songs have overlapping melodies of songs from different shows. Case in point, "Our Time" and "No one is Alone" are sung seperately by the Harlem Boys Choir and Betty Buckley (the original Grizabella in Webber's atrocious "CATS," although Buckley was excellent) respectively, and then combined. Putting these two songs together offer different meanings to each, and the music is only enhanced. Another example, the trio of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Love, I Hear," and "Live Alone and Like It" are sung in that order, and then the latter two are combined. Again, the meanings of the songs change, this time in an almost narrative style, and offering different takes on love in the same montage. Lastly (at least for this review, there are more), Dorothy Laudon's (the original Ms. Hannigan in Annie) combination of "Losing my Mind" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" is brilliant. Those who are familiar with these songs will wonder how exactly they fit, but trust me, they do. She swtiches back and forth between melodies to create a number that starts poignant and beautiful, and soon moves to become uproariously funny. Both the song reworkings and overlapping melodies of unrelated songs are all for the better.

I recommend this recording to anyone wanting to get better acquainted with some of Sondheim's best work, or those already familiar who want to hear a tour de force of phenomenal music. It has been said that Sondheim is a masterful lyricist (which he is), but lacks real talent for music. This CD is the final proof that such critics are wrong. His music may take a few listenings to get into, contrary to Webber or Wildhorn, but unlike those two, he doesn't cater to the audience. He challenges them to think outside of traditional musical theater in a glorious repertoise of shows that reach for a smarter, more sophisticated form.

A maginificent evening, a magnificent album.......2001-12-16

There's something to be said for the first concert you ever see at Carnegie Hall. I was fortunate enough to have this be my first. This entire evening was devoted to his genius and the performers did not disappoint.

This wonderful double CD shows off the best and brightest of the musical theatre composer and it is, as one person put it, "an embarassment of riches." With songs from his finest works done in amazing arrangements (listen to that harmony in "We Had a Good Thing Going"!) combined with fabulous performers this is a Sondheim lovers delight.

My favorite song is, without a doubt, Dorothy Louden and her wonderful medley of "Losing My Mind" into "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" followed very closely by the recently departed Madeline Kahn singing "Getting Married Today."

Average customer rating: Two pianists playing from different planets Energetic Schubert, with impressive partnering SUBLIME TOGETHERNESS

Evgeny Kissin & James Levine: The Carnegie Hall Concert Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Scriabin: Sonata No. 3; Five Preludes; Medtner: Sonata Reminiscenza; Stravinsky: Three Movements from Pétrouchka Evgeny Kissin Plays Chopin Vienna Recital Memory [Includes Bonus CD] Horizons - Leif Ove Andsnes ASIN: B000E1JOU2 Release Date: 2006-02-07

Tracks:

1. Fantasie in F minor for Piano Four Hands, D940
2. Allegro in A minor for Piano Four Hands, D947, "Lebensst
3. Sonata in C Major for Piano Four Hands, D812, "Grand Duo"; Allegro moderato
4. Sonata in C Major for Piano Four Hands, D812, "Grand Duo"; Andante
5. Sonata in C Major for Piano Four Hands, D812, "Grand Duo"; Scherzo: Allegro vivace
6. Sonata in C Major for Piano Four Hands, D812, "Grand Duo"; Allegro vivace
7. Characteristic March No. 1 in C Major, D968b
8. Military March No. 1 in D Major, D733

Customer Reviews:

Two pianists playing from different planets.......2007-05-17

I heard this exact same concert live in Boston two days before this concert was recorded in NYC. As someone who knows and loves Schubert's four-hand music, especially the Fantasy in F-minor (one of the greatest pieces of music for piano ever composed), I have to say that this concert was a complete disaster. The problem is that Kissin and Levine aren't remotely on the same page (or planet) in their approach to the music: Kissin plays with real passion and sensitivity, and Levine plays as if on Prozac--no real highs or lows, just a lot of notes played loud and soft as required. While they sat at two different pianos because of Levine's girth, it was an appropriately figurative statement also, because of the unbridgeable gap between their approaches. Sadly, I can not recommend this recording at all. If you are interested in Schubert's Fantasy in F-minor, make sure you hear the performance by Emil and Elena Gilels, which pretty well blows all others away. Perahia and Lupu also have recordings of the other four-hand works that are recommendable.

Energetic Schubert, with impressive partnering.......2006-05-03

I imagine this concert could be the only time that Schubert's four-hand piano music, which was intended to be played at home, filled Carnegie Hall. Levine and Kissin are stars, but the big surprise is their unanimity--it's nearly impossible to tell on this CD which one is playing the first or second part. I heard not a single slip in ensemble. The music is self-recommending to Schubertians, since every work is a masterpiece (the F minor Fantasy is all but obligatory on such programs).

As to style, Kissin and Levine don't tiptoe around, which is gratifying--they take a forceful, energetic appraoch, and their tempos tend to be brisk. At times the phrasing lacks inwardness, but it's incredibly hard to bring out both the poetry and the strength of Schubert's piano writing. Britten and Richter came closer in their live recordings from the Aldeburgh Festival (BBC Legends), but Levine and Kissin are still first-rate. I am not fond of two-paino music (as the pieces are played here, rather than at a single keyborad), finding it too percussive, but this CD kept my attention from beginning to end. Lots of applause before and after each item, by the way.

SUBLIME TOGETHERNESS.......2006-03-01

Piano music for four hands played an integral part in Schubert's compositional output. (Robert Schumann thought very highly of Schubert's compositions in this genre). He composed like music throughout his very short life. This recording contains works from the last years of his life and it certainly contains some of his best compositions for the piano-I really think that the Sonata for Piano 4 hands in C major, D 812/Op. 140 "Grand Duo" was really a symphony for two pianos. Whatever it is, Levine and Kissen give it a splendid reading! To me these works are far more than mere "housemusic" (or music known as music to be played exclusively among friends at evening gatherings in the home). As a piano major during my college days (many years ago) I played (not well) many of Schubert's piano works for four hands (with other piano students). I remember liking and enjoying them immensely. Since that time, Schubert's piano music for four hands has sort of disappeared from my "musical radar". This release is very welcome indeed. Hearing these works played by musicians of the caliber of Evengy Kissin and James Levine is phenomenal. (I simply ADORE the first number--Fantasie in F minor--it's achingly lovely)

Evengy Kissin and James Levine recorded this album "live" at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2005. Musicians of this acclaim don't' get together often to play this kind of music. Therefore, I would call this "a once in a lifetime" recording. Kissin and Levine play these wonderful works splendidly. Their playing reeks of almost a "second sense" with each other. They are always together as if anticipating each other's next move. There is a keen sense of rhythm, beautiful tone and dynamics. BRAVO! I really don't expect, in my lifetime, to hear these works played again as well as they are played on this album-it's is really amazing.

For some divine piano playing by two master musicians, buy this disc!

Average customer rating: uplifting not too good, not too bad December 8, 1991 Must Have Been Quite A Night In NYC Voices of Angels Makes your heart sing!

A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Humperdinck, Engelbert | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Michael Praetorius | Praetorius, Michael | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Reger, Max | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Reger, Max | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Handel, George Frideric | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Humperdinck, Engelbert | H to L | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | M to P | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Yon, Pietro | U to Z | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Gruber, Franz Xaver | C to G | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rodgers, Richard | Q to T | Featured Composers, A-Z | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Battle, Kathleen | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Von Stade, Frederica | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Solo Instrumental | New Age | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Holiday Music | Miscellaneous | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Holiday Music | Miscellaneous | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music Classical Instrumental | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music $7 - $10 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Jazz | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Holiday Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: A Christmas Celebration: Kathleen Battle Angels' Glory Jessye Norman - Christmastide Kathleen Battle · Wynton Marsalis ~ Baroque Duet / Anthony Newman · Orch St. Luke's · Nelson Spirituals in Concert ASIN: B0000027WV Release Date: 1992-10-06

Tracks:

1. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
2. Mary's Little Boy Chile
3. Gesu Bambino
4. 'Alleluja'
5. The Sound Of Music: My Favorite Things
6. Winter Wonderland
7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
8. American Songs - Medley
9. The Christmas Song
10. Silent Night
11. Joy To The World
12. Abendsegen (Evening Prayer)
13. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
14. Maria Wiegenlied, Op. 76, No. 52
15. Christmas Songs - Medley

Customer Reviews:

uplifting.......2007-01-16

I saw this broadcast in 1991 or 1992 and have it on video. My only regret is that the concert is not available as a DVD, because the wonder is as much in the impassioned and dramatic 'conversations' between the three stars as in the sounds they produce. Still, until then, this is unforgettable stuff.

not too good, not too bad.......2007-01-09

this was an okay cd. it had some good songs i liked, but it was not the best christmas cd i've heard.

December 8, 1991 Must Have Been Quite A Night In NYC.......2003-12-14

December 8, 1991 must have been a great night in New York City, especially at Carnegie Hall. On this evening, three outstanding performers backed by a great orchestra and two different choirs joined forces for a Christmas concert. The fruit of this effort is the recording A CARNEGIE HALL CHRISTMAS CONCERT.

When Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, and Wynton Marsalis collaborate in a concert, how can it be anything but an event? This disc shows just how phenomenal event this concert must have been. Each performer had ample opportunity to demonstrate the performer's individual talents, but there are also many duets with Battle and von Stade as well as works where all three perform together. The Orchestra of St. Luke's is conducted by Andre Previn and has a sumptuous sound. The American Boychoir and the Christmas Concert Chorus add backups that enhance so many of the arrangements. Battle and Von Stade's rendition of "Gesu Bambino" is probably one of the best recordings of this beautiful carol. The "Evening Prayer" from HANSEL AND GRETEL is a highlight as well. Winton Marsalis and his septet display their talents in jazz versions of "Winter Wonderland" and "We Three Kings." There is a great Christmas medley that concludes the disc that is simply vocal and orchestral fireworks at their best.

My only critique, or pet peeve might be the better way of expressing it, would be "The Twelve Days of Christmas." This particular arrangement has the gifts in a different order than the standard version, but since this could be open to dispute, and in the spirit of the Christmas holiday, I won't consider this a strike against the album.

I'll say it again: December 8, 1991 must have been a great night in New York City, especially at Carnegie Hall.

Voices of Angels.......2003-11-21

The stars must have been aligned perfectly, all must have been right with the world on that night of December 8, 1991 in NYC's Carnegie Hall when this Christmas concert was filmed, because it is an example, one of those rare instances when everything falls into place perfectly.
On this particular night Kathleen Battle, Frederica Von Stade, Wynton Marsalis and Andre Previn performed, not only with their instruments but with their hearts as well. All the performers relate and connect to this often performed material in ways others simply do not. This is secular Holiday music performed with fervor and an emotional connection that borders on the religious.
The highlight of this recording is the 17 minute "American Songs" (I Wonder as I Wander, Who Was Mary, etc) performed primarily by Battle and Von Stade that is so exquisite as to be otherworldly.
Christmas Concerts can be corny or at worst, maudlin. But on this particular night in 1991, the angels sang and the heavens opened and called forth these artists to perform not only with their voices but with their souls as well. This is an emotional experience that is not to be missed.

Makes your heart sing!.......2003-11-18

This is a wonderful CD. The entire performance is absolutely perfect. Its the first Christmas CD we listen to every year and now my children start asking to hear it around Thanksgiving. I can't count the number of people I've given this to as a gift. We're are on our second copy!

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