The Carnegie Hall Concert in Bloomington, MN

It took
RCA-BMG
until 1993 to get this performance out on CD, but the wait was worth it. Apart from its brief 35 minutes (
Miller
was sharing a program with
Benny Goodman
,
Fred Waring
, and
Paul Whiteman
, the self-proclaimed "King of Jazz" who introduces him), this is a choice release, capturing
and his orchestra in the midst of their first big flush of success -- it was only a few months earlier that their gig at the Glen Island Casino and the resulting radio broadcasts transformed
into a household name. He had a reputation for stuffiness that has outlived him -- he did, indeed, hold the jazzier impulses of his bandmembers in check -- but here the performance really jumps. The core of
's repertory is featured, including a swinging version of
"Little Brown Jug,"
a bracing
"Running Wild,"
a rocking
"Bugle Call Rag,"
and a bouncing, soaring
"One O'Clock Jump"
(complete with a male chorus that works), all culminating in a cooking version of
"In the Mood"
(
's latest recording at the time of the show). The pop elements are restrained here, in contrast to many of
's most familiar recordings, with only one vocal number by
Ray Eberle
and three by
Marion Hutton
, one of which,
"Jim Jam Jump,"
is pretty hot -- one can even forgive the instrumental digression of
"Danny Boy."
The sound is surprisingly good given the age of the performance, and the digital remastering works wonders. ~ Bruce Eder