The dream for Bob DeAngelis and company as stated in the evening’s program was: “Today Roy Thomson Hall, Tomorrow Carnegie Hall”. An ideal, an ambition or aspiration define the word dream and why not dream? After all, some dreams do come true. A dream came true in 2004 for Bob DeAngelis when he won a Juno award for Best Instrumental Album with Italian Love Songs. It was obviously a proud achievement for Bob DeAngelis and he made mention of it during the performance.

On this night the setting at Roy Thomson Hall is beautiful; the stage is decked out in a festive manner, with balloons, ribbons and glitter. The orchestra files onto the stage in a nonchalant manner, everyone dressed in formal attire. The musicians go through some warm up exercises, providing a nice background for a review of the evening’s program. As we get closer to show time the drummer Lorne Nehring, dressed in a white tuxedo, takes his place at the front of the string section and goes through a warm up routine. Violin virtuoso Lenny Solomon walks out on stage and is immediately recognized with applause. He turns to the audience and offers a bow. The forty chairs on stage are now filled; the seats of Roy Thompson Hall are mostly filled.

The first set also featured some beautiful vocals from the strikingly beautiful Melissa Stylianou who was in fine form and doing what she does best, putting heart and soul into the standards. Ms. Stylianou takes these classics and makes them her own, “You Turn The Tables On Me” was so nice, and with a string section complementing her smooth, smoky, sensual voice — outstanding. “It Had To Be You,” “What Are You Doing New Year's Eve,” “And The Angels Sing,” “After You’ve Gone” and possibly the best version ever of “East Of The Sun” were all songs that she nailed, Ms. Stylianou deserves her own orchestra.

The show at Roy Thomson Hall and the show at Carnegie Hall in 1938, share more than a few similarities, from world class musicians, composers and arrangers, to those classic songs as mentioned above, as well as the swing era anthem “Sing Sing Sing” that saw members of the audience who were seated up on the stage of Carnegie Hall, due to the over selling of the hall, start dancing. The show at this night’s performance wasn’t sold out, but there were dancers on stage, professional swing dancers from the group A2D2 and members Julie, Elisa and Samantha DeAngelis. Their favourite gig just happens to be, “Performing with their dad Bob DeAngelis, whenever the opportunity arises.” The dancers put out some serious excitement during the “Tribute To B.G. Medley: Moon Glow, Avalon, Goodbye and Sing Sing Sing.”

An ambitious project, a very nice concert, a wonderful place to be on New Years Eve, with some great playing and singing as well as that ingredient that made swing so appealing to the youth of the thirties and forties, a whole lot of fun. When you look at the line-up that Mr. Goodman assembled for that famed concert of 1938, you begin to realize the significance and the Dream of attempting to recreate that once in a lifetime performance.

When you look at the line-up that Mr. Goodman assembled you have to take that opening quote, “I think the band I had at Carnegie Hall . . . was the best . . . I ever had.” as an understatement. Mr. Goodman realized the significance of that concert; it was a first for jazz on many levels. The first time jazz was performed at Carnegie Hall, in fact, the first time jazz was performed in any concert hall, the first time an integrated band had performed in a concert hall (and in this case, it was not just a big band integrated with strings). Goodman assembled a phenomenal band, borrowing from the Ellington and Basie bands and even using Count Basie himself for a small group setting. This was one of the defining moments of jazz history and thankfully, it was recorded and is well documented.

Wow, that’s a lot of talent!

When I asked my mother, a teen during the swing era, who was king of swing, Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw? She replied without hesitation (she’s 86), “Benny Goodman for sure, he was the king, but Artie Shaw’s bands were a lot of fun too."