This collection of live performances is taken from radio broadcasts and a Carnegie Hall concert, all of them recorded between January and November of 1939. As one would expect, it has kind of a cobbled-together feeling -- more like a sampler than an actual album, complete with abruptly interrupted audience reactions and charmingly quaint introductions by hipster MCs. But that's not to say that the material itself is less than stellar. Most of the performances captured here find
Goodman in a shifting quartet setting that features various combinations of
Lionel Hampton (on either drums or vibes),
Gene Krupa (drums),
Jess Stacy (piano),
Teddy Wilson (piano), and
Buddy Schutz (drums). A quintet featuring bassist
Artie Bernstein and drummer
Nick Fatool is also represented on several tracks, and a couple of trio numbers are included as well. The repertoire is unsurprising, if thrillingly played: "I've Found a New Baby," "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise," "Deep Purple," etc. Most exciting are the four sextet performances that end the program, all of which prominently feature the young guitarist
Charlie Christian, who had been brought to
Goodman's attention by
John Hammond and, shortly after these broadcasts, would join New York's bebop mavericks in permanently changing the structure and function of jazz. The sound quality on these recordings is mostly so-so, but all of it is well worth hearing. Recommended.