Search - Louis Armstrong :: Hello Dolly

A nice "best of, in concert" collection from the later years

T. Fisher | 07/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Seventeen tracks of Louis Armstrong performing many of his greatest hits in concert for 52 cents? When I saw this collection for that price on 07/11/2010, I was a bit suspicious due to the low price, but the misgivings were unfounded. This is a terrific set of professionally recorded music in good sound quality, with classic performances.



There is no information I am aware of regarding the performance dates, but a lot of factors point to the 1950s and 1960s -- when Armstrong was already established as an American institution. The quality of the stereo recordings and the polite clapping of polite-sounding audiences support this view, as do the songs. Armstrong recorded "Blueberry Hill" in 1949, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" in 1951, and his famous version of "Hello Dolly" in 1964. The sound and the collection of instruments is a bit different from track to track, so these are probably from a lot of different concerts. (Except "Frankie and Johnny" is a studio, not a concert recording.)



There is a good mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks, and his band is great. The stereo separation is good, making for some nice three dimensional music. Bitrates are 227-234 Kbps. Highly recommended -- passing it up at the current price doesn't seem to make much sense!



If you are interested in the music of the young, revolutionary Louis Armstrong, back when he was literally changing the world of popular music, I can highly recommend The Complete Jazz Collection By Louis Armstrong. That set has everything Armstrong recorded in his own name between 1925 and April 1930 -- 85 tracks, mostly lovingly restored, including all the historic "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven" recordings.



Update 07/12/2010: The one-day pricing wonder has disappeared. This remains a great little set, but choosing between this at $8.99 or the above-referenced set of Louis Armstrong at $5.99 is not really a choice at all. Just my opinion."

Armstrong at a Bargain!

Angela Kee | Detroit | 07/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I plan to add this to my classroom music library. My elementary students love Armstrong! Educators must often supplement their curriculum with materials from home and otherwise. Thanks Amazon for offering this album at such an "affordable" price."