Benny Carter showcases his legendary multi-instrumental brilliance in this rare print artifact from the May 1939 issue of Down Beat magazine. The clever trick photography stages an impossible visual duet, showing Carter playing saxophone side by side with himself on trumpet. The caption playfully notes his mastery of the alto and tenor saxophones while completely ignoring the brass horn in his hands. This archival column announces the historic National Swing Club of America “Mammoth Jamboree” held at New York’s Hippodrome on May 29, 1939. The billing features an unbelievable roster of swing royalty. It captures a legendary moment from the height of the era, showcasing Benny Carter during his celebrated residency leading the house orchestra at Harlem’s historic Savoy Ballroom.
Archival Transcription:
Swing Club Presents Mammoth Jamboree
It’s the same man—the prolific Benny Carter who, besides playing great alto and tenor, arranges and leads a fine band in Harlem’s Savoy. He’ll be at the Swing Club’s Jamboree.
Satchmo, Dorsey, Wilson Among Jamsters
The National Swing Club of America plans a gigantic swing jamboree May 29 in New York’s Hippodrome. Leading jamsters of the land will get together in what looks like the greatest Pendulum Potpourri of all time.
A partial list of those scheduled to appear includes saxists Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Carter, Chu Berry, Ben Webster, Charlie Barnet; clarinetists Buster Bailey, Woody Herman, Prince Robinson; trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Teagarden, Charlie Shavers, Erskine Hawkins; trombonist Jack Jenney; pianists Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Nat Jaffee, Joe Springer, Clyde Hart; bassists John Kirby, Art Shapiro; drummers Cosey Cole, Lionel Hampton; violinists Joe Venuti, Al Duffy, and vocalists Billie Holiday and Lee Wiley.
Paul Whiteman will present an award to Artie Shaw’s mother (Artie being unable to attend) for Shaw’s achievements of the year in swing.
Benny Carter and the 1939 National Swing Club Jamboree
To explore our comprehensive database covering his complete lifelong achievements, please visit our main Benny Carter Biography Page. However, this specific May 1939 Down Beat artifact uncovers a unique, localized event in swing music history. Earning headlines in major publications, this massive gathering was not a standard big band touring date. Instead, it was an unprecedented benefit assembly organized by the National Swing Club of America.
What Was the National Swing Club of America?
- A Massive National Fan Alliance: The National Swing Club of America was an ambitious, non-profit fan network designed to legitimize jazz as a serious art form. Period trade papers like Billboard reported that the club launched national instrument contests to uncover young prodigies. They regularly honored top big bands with custom awards.
- The Archival Receipts: Physical proof of this concert’s immense scale survives today in academic catalogs. The official Paul Whiteman Collection archived at Williams University holds the physical artifacts from this precise night. The archive catalog explicitly features item AR 092: Paul Whiteman’s National Swing Club of America Trophy and item AR 123: The Official Hippodrome Concert Program.
Verified Attendance and the Double-Exposure Riddle
- Packed Turnout at the Hippodrome: Contemporary news trades confirm the massive commercial success of the concert. The morning after the performance, a front-page report in The New York Times (May 30, 1939 edition) documented that over 3,000 frenzied swing fans packed into New York’s historic Hippodrome theater. Furthermore, a dedicated music review by Robert A. Simon in The New Yorker magazine (June 10, 1939 issue) reported that the venue was so jam-packed that enthusiastic couples were literally dancing in the aisles during the stage demonstrations.
- The Multi-Instrumental Trick: The magazine layout used a playful double-exposure trick to mirror the collaborative, cross-instrument nature of the show. Benny Carter originally trained as a trumpeter before adopting the alto saxophone as his primary instrument. By seamlessly splicing two separate photographs side-by-side, Down Beat created an intentional visual puzzle showing Carter performing a duet with himself.
Archival clippings like this 1939 feature remind us that Benny Carter was a rare force who could master multiple instrument families seamlessly. The National Swing Club Jamboree was more than just a gathering of legendary musicians. Backed by historical documentation from The New York Times and The New Yorker, it proved that swing icons could easily bridge the gap between late-night ballrooms and massive concert hall stages.
Hear Benny Carter and these legendary jazz musicians on the Swingmusic.org Big Band Era radio stream and explore more in the Swing Era Magazine Scan Archive while you listen.