Joni James At Carnegie Hall CD

Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York on May 3, 1959.

This recording captures vocalist Joni James during her debut performance at Carnegie Hall. She was likewise the first pop musician to play at the venerable venue. When At Carnegie Hall was issued in 1960, it became an immediate hit with enthusiasts, and one of James' best-selling long-players, eventually going double platinum. The 100-member Symphony of the Air and the assembled 40-voice chorale -- under the supervision of her musical director/husband Anthony Acquaviva -- helped James re-create some of her most memorable platters for the SRO crowd. What sets the music of Joni James apart from her teen idol pop vocalist contemporaries is the maturity and refined elegance in her delivery. Ironically, it's the same quality that is absent from the candy-coated pre-rock & roll of Connie Francis or Doris Day. In numerous ways -- exemplified throughout this performance -- she is the link between the jazz and torch song vocalists such as Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan and the female pop song contemporaries with whom she concurrently shared the charts. After an opulently scored "Joni James Overture," the vocalist winds her way through some unique arrangements of her hits. Included are "Purple Shades," "My Love, My Love," "Have You Heard," and notable cover versions of "Danny Boy," "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," and the showstopping "Let There Be Love" -- which literally brought the evening's festivities to a halt, according to the liner notes, as James garnered round upon round of heartfelt applause. ~ Lindsay Planer

Joni at her best combined with a 100-piece orchestra and a 30-voice choir. Includes three bonus tracks, 'Curtain Time', 'Beyond The Next Hill' & 'C'est Tout (That's All)'. Collector's Choice Music. 2002.