Harry Belafonte has always been a musical chameleon. Using a thick base of folk music, he added blues, soul, jazz, pop and a plethora of various Caribbean styles to create albums that were unique, socially relevant and just plain entertaining. This live recording was produced by Bob Bollard at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall features material culled from two identical performances on April 19 and April 20, 1959. “Belafonte At Carnegie Hall” was documented at the height of the singer’s success when it wasn’t fashionable to record outside of the studio environment. The revered 19-track affair is divided into the three acts Moods of the American Negro, In the Caribbean, and Round the World, and finds Belafonte’s world class voice wonderfully supported by a small combo of two guitars, bass, and percussion, and a perfectly timed 47-piece orchestra conducted by Robert Corman
