Carnival of Swing
Encyclopedia
The Carnival of Swing was a music festival that took place on 29 May 1938 on Randall's Island
, New York
. It is considered the first outdoor jazz festival. Performing at the concert were twenty-five swing bands including the Duke Ellington
and Count Basie
orchestras, and Stuff Smith
. Though newsreel
footage of the event exists, no audio recordings were thought to have survived until radio recordings known as the Savory Collection were acquired by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem
.
The event reportedly lasted five hours and forty-five minutes, and was attended by "23,400 assorted jitterbugs and alligators - more conservatively known as swing music enthusiasts". Lines of police and park officers were in place to protect the musicians from over-enthusiastic fans.
Randall's Island
Randall's Island is situated in the East River in New York City, part of the borough of Manhattan. It is separated from Manhattan island on the west by the river's main channel, from Queens on the east by the Hell Gate, and from the Bronx on the north by the Bronx Kill. It is joined to Wards...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It is considered the first outdoor jazz festival. Performing at the concert were twenty-five swing bands including the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
orchestras, and Stuff Smith
Stuff Smith
Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith , better known as Stuff Smith, was a jazz violinist. He is known well for the song "If You're a Viper".-Biography:...
. Though newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
footage of the event exists, no audio recordings were thought to have survived until radio recordings known as the Savory Collection were acquired by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
.
The event reportedly lasted five hours and forty-five minutes, and was attended by "23,400 assorted jitterbugs and alligators - more conservatively known as swing music enthusiasts". Lines of police and park officers were in place to protect the musicians from over-enthusiastic fans.