Benny Goodman Brings Swing to Carnegie Hall

On January 16, 1938, Benny Goodman and his orchestra played Carnegie Hall, the first time a swing band had headlined the room. Goodman had been nervous about bringing hot jazz to an audience raised on classical music, but sold-out crowds for his film Hollywood Hotel talked him into it, and he had the band rehearse inside the hall to learn its acoustics. Guest players from Count Basie's and Duke Ellington's bands joined Goodman's musicians for a jam session on Honeysuckle Rose, and pianist Jess Stacy got an unplanned spotlight during Sing, Sing, Sing that turned into the night's most talked-about moment. A recording of the show, cut as a private gift, sat forgotten in Goodman's closet for over a decade before it made jazz history all over again.