| Musicologist Irving Kolodin included a quote in his liner notes for the 1950 release of Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall jazz concert. He said: "Someone said to Goodman, "It's too damn bad somebody didn't make a record of this whole thing." [Goodman] smiled and said: 'Somebody did.'" |
Jackie and Rachel hosted an audience of 600 privately invited guests that day to raise money for civil rights.
The concert became an annual event and quickly outgrew the Robinson's beautiful lakefront backyard. It was moved to a park in Norwalk, CT, then became a NYC jazz festival. Now 41 years later it's still happening: http://www.jackierobinson.org/events/jazz03.htm
This first concert was not broadcast and no recording was made. No official recording, that is. But an unofficial one was. Unknown to all but Robinson who approved it, a professional sound engineer from NYC who volunteered to ride the levels, and myself who arranged it, a tape recording was made of the entire 2 PM to 7:30 concert.
The machine was a professional 6-head Berlant Concertone 2-case portable plugged into the microphone mixer. The tape was brand new Audiotape 1/2-mil Mylar. Not studio quality conditions but good enough for the mono recording we wanted.
The recording has everything: all the music and all the intros, including Robinson's introduction of the Rev Wyatt T. Walker. The concert was a benefit for Walker's Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and $14,334 was raised.
Other speakers on the tape include Dizzy Gillespie, Mercer Ellington, DJ Mort Fega, DJ William B. Williams, and the versatile Billy Taylor who served as emcee that day and for years thereafter.
The tapes were never copied. There is only one set of eight 7-inch tapes.
I've always cherished the memory of that night after the concert. The audience had gone home. Only the musicians, some friends of the Robinsons, and a few strays remained, myself included. Billy Strayhorn played Rachel Robinson's piano through the night, occasionally doing songs he wrote that were never recorded. No one dreamed they never would be.
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Set 1 - Duke Ellington Alumni - 7 cuts
Seldon Powell
Set 2 - Joya Sherrill - 5 cuts Same musicians less Jerome Richardson
Set 3 - Dizzy Gillespie - 5 cuts
Diz
Set 4 - Carol Sloan - 5 cuts
Jimmy Jones
Set 5 - Dave Brubeck Quartet - 5 cuts
Dave
Set 6 - Jackie Robinson & Rev. Wyatt T. Walker Pitch for contributions to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Set 7 - Cannonball Adderley Quintet - 5 cuts
Cannonball
Set 8 - Billy Taylor Trio - 2 long cuts
Billy
Set 9 - Jimmy Rushing - 10 cuts (last 2 instrumental)
Billy Strayhorn
Set 10 - Randy Weston Quartet - 5 cuts
Weston
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Rey Barry (rey at cstone.net) All rights reserved Page last updated Feb 26, 2006 |
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