Carnegie Hall concert ‘From Spirituals To Swing’ 1938/1939

A legendary concert as inspiration

In 1938 and 1939, John Hammond organized two groundbreaking concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York under the name From Spirituals to Swing. For the first time, he brought black musicians onto the stage of one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world for a mixed audience. Pianists such as Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, and Pete Johnson set the tone. Singers such as Helen Humes, Ida Cox, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Joe Turner, and Big Bill Broonzy provided the vocals.

Boogie-woogie and blues at the Pianola Museum

Pianists Eeco Rijken Rapp, Martijn Schok, and Han van Dam pay a musical tribute to these evenings. Singer Greta Holtrop performs the vocal parts. The concert takes place in the atmospheric music salon of the Pianola Museum in Amsterdam. In addition to the grand piano, original pianola rolls will also be heard, bringing the styles of Jimmy Yancey, Montana Taylor, and Cripple Clarence Lofton to life.

Hear and experience more

Would you like to get acquainted with the music in advance? A compilation of previous concerts can be heard on the CD Pianola Blues Amsterdam, with recordings from 2018. The album is exclusively available at the museum. Are you interested in this concert? You can reserve a ticket via the link on this page.