Personnel includes: Harry Belafonte (vocals); Millard Thomas, Ernest Calabria, Dennis Collins, Perry Lopez, Walter Raim (guitar); Norman Keenan, Bill Lee (bass); Daniel Barrajanos (congas, bongos); Thomas Lopez (congas).
Reissue producer: John Pfeiffer.
Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York on May 2, 1960. Includes liner notes by Bob Bollard.
Digitally remastered by Nathaniel S. Johnson and Thomas MacCluskey (BMG/RCA Studios).
1959 saw the release of Harry Belafonte's landmark concert recording at Carnegie Hall, one of the most artistically and commercially successful live albums ever. Belafonte returned to Carnegie Hall in 1960, and released a second live album in much the same mold as the first. Surprisingly--or perhaps not so surprisingly given Belafonte's endless talent and charisma--BELAFONTE RETURNS TO CARNEGIE HALL is almost as wonderful as its predecessor.
Naturally, Belafonte is in superb voice, and his spare, nuanced performances are breathtaking (see his tender reading of "Suzanne"). But the real treat of RETURNS TO CARNEGIE HALL is the presence of several guest stars, handpicked by Belafonte. These include South African singer Miriam Makeba, coffeehouse folk outfit the Chad Mitchell Trio, and folk singer Odetta, whose "I've Been Driving on Bald Mountain" is one of the disc's highlights. The CD puts the original two-LP set onto one disc with excellent remastered sound.
