Canal Street Blues - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
High Society - Louis Armstrong, Melrose, Walter
All the Wrongs You've Done to Me - Louis Armstrong, Burris, James Henry
Everybody Loves My Baby - Louis Armstrong, Palmer, Jack [1]
Mandy, Make up Your Mind - Louis Armstrong, Clarke, Grant
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
See See Rider - Louis Armstrong, Rainey, Ma
Reckless Blues - Louis Armstrong, Gee, Jack
Court House Blues - Louis Armstrong, Smith, Clara [Vocal
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Trouble in Mind - Louis Armstrong, Jones, Richard [1]
New Orleans Function/Free as a Bird - Louis Armstrong, Handy, W.C.
Gut Bucket Blues - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Cornet Chop Suey - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Track Listings (36) - Disc #2
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Wild Man Blues - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Weary Blues - Louis Armstrong, Matthews, Artie
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Gully Low Blues - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Struttin' With Some Barbecue - Louis Armstrong, Hardin, Lil
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Hotter Than That - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Two Deuces - Louis Armstrong, Hardin, Lil
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
My Monday Date - Louis Armstrong, Hines, Earl
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Basin Street Blues - Louis Armstrong, Williams, Spencer
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Knockin' a Jug - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Louis Armstrong, Fields, Dorothy
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Mahogany Hall Stomp - Louis Armstrong, Williams, Spencer
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Some of These Days - Louis Armstrong, Brooks, Shelton
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) - Louis Armstrong, Fisher, Mark [1]
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Song of the Islands - Louis Armstrong, King, Charles [Voca
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me - Louis Armstrong, Gaskill, Clarence
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Dear Old Southland - Louis Armstrong, Creamer, Henry
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Exactly Like You - Louis Armstrong, Fields, Dorothy
Track Listings (26) - Disc #3
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) - Louis Armstrong, Creamer, Henry
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Body and Soul - Louis Armstrong, Eyton, Frank
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Memories of You - Louis Armstrong, Blake, Eubie
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
You Rascal You - Louis Armstrong, Theard, Sam
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
When It's Sleepy Time Down South - Louis Armstrong, Muse, Clarence
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
I Surrender, Dear - Louis Armstrong, Barris, Harry
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Them There Eyes - Louis Armstrong, Pinkard, Maceo
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Lazy River - Louis Armstrong, Arodin, Sidney
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Georgia on My Mind - Louis Armstrong, Carmichael, Hoagy
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
That's My Home - Louis Armstrong, Ellison, Ben
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train - Louis Armstrong, Armstrong, Louis
Introduction - Louis Armstrong,
On the Sunny Side of the Street - Louis Armstrong, Fields, Dorothy
Conclusion - Louis Armstrong,
My Monday Date [Unedited Performance] - Louis Armstrong, Hines, Earl
Originally released in 1957 as a four-LP set, Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography is a fitting reissue for the Armstrong centenary, an ambitious collaboration between Armstrong and producer Milt Gabler. Gabler was one of the ... more »great pioneers of jazz recording, from setting up the first independent label, Commodore, to producing Armstrong and Billie Holiday for Decca. For these marathon mid-'50s recordings, he had Armstrong revisit the early years of his career, from his youth in New Orleans--there's a comic recreation of a funeral parade--through the extraordinary first decade of his recording career that spanned from 1923 to the early '30s. Armstrong touches on his work with King Oliver's band and the great blues singers of the period, his association with Fletcher Henderson, and his own marvelous Hot Five and Hot Seven dates. Gabler may have caught him at the perfect moment. Armstrong had recently made the superb Plays W.C. Handy and Plays Fats Waller, he had a fine working band in the All-Stars, and he was still the magnificent trumpeter who had revolutionized music just three decades before. Armstrong's spoken introductions--with sparkling accompaniments by pianist Billy Kyle--are a delight, invoking the personalities and scenes of his youth with a unique charm. While these performances lack the newly minted genius of the originals, they strike a happy balance between fidelity to the originals and a fresh look at the material, with the small group tracks arranged by Bob Haggart and the big band by Sy Oliver. Tunes like "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" are imbued with as much spirit and grace as ever, and Armstrong gets tremendous support. Trumpeter Yank Lawson is an appropriate stand-in for King Oliver, emulating his mute work when the occasion demands, while Velma Middleton is more than competent in the thankless task of singing songs associated with Bessie Smith. The original four-LP set has been further enriched by additional tracks and the restoration of edited portions, resulting in a three-and-one-half hour guided tour of Armstrong's early years. --Stuart Broomer« less
Originally released in 1957 as a four-LP set, Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography is a fitting reissue for the Armstrong centenary, an ambitious collaboration between Armstrong and producer Milt Gabler. Gabler was one of the great pioneers of jazz recording, from setting up the first independent label, Commodore, to producing Armstrong and Billie Holiday for Decca. For these marathon mid-'50s recordings, he had Armstrong revisit the early years of his career, from his youth in New Orleans--there's a comic recreation of a funeral parade--through the extraordinary first decade of his recording career that spanned from 1923 to the early '30s. Armstrong touches on his work with King Oliver's band and the great blues singers of the period, his association with Fletcher Henderson, and his own marvelous Hot Five and Hot Seven dates. Gabler may have caught him at the perfect moment. Armstrong had recently made the superb Plays W.C. Handy and Plays Fats Waller, he had a fine working band in the All-Stars, and he was still the magnificent trumpeter who had revolutionized music just three decades before. Armstrong's spoken introductions--with sparkling accompaniments by pianist Billy Kyle--are a delight, invoking the personalities and scenes of his youth with a unique charm. While these performances lack the newly minted genius of the originals, they strike a happy balance between fidelity to the originals and a fresh look at the material, with the small group tracks arranged by Bob Haggart and the big band by Sy Oliver. Tunes like "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" are imbued with as much spirit and grace as ever, and Armstrong gets tremendous support. Trumpeter Yank Lawson is an appropriate stand-in for King Oliver, emulating his mute work when the occasion demands, while Velma Middleton is more than competent in the thankless task of singing songs associated with Bessie Smith. The original four-LP set has been further enriched by additional tracks and the restoration of edited portions, resulting in a three-and-one-half hour guided tour of Armstrong's early years. --Stuart Broomer
CD Reviews
More than Louis', it's jazz autobiography.Superlative music.
JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 06/27/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thinking that this sessions would never be released, I bought one year ago the Mosaic set including these recordings. Now,the miracle appears, at a lower price,and including all the sessions known as the marathon-like "musical autobiography" of Louis Armstrong.Louis (1900,or 1901- 1971) had already written some of jazz's most glorious pages before 1930. In the middle of the fifties, he had the opportunity to record all these tunes once again.The personnel is a little bit different of the classic "allstars" of the same years (see the W.C.Handy and the Fats Waller albums on Columbia) : Trummy Young, the great and little known Edmond Hall,George Barnes,Bob Haggart,Billy Kyle, Velma Middleton,Hilton Jefferson,Seldon Powell,Everett Barksdale,Sy Oliver,Lucky Thompson.The group plays all the hits Louis made in the twenties: "you rascal you","king of the zulus","dear old southland","cornet shop suey","potato head blues"(do you know the 1927 version of this theme,one of the craziest things ever done in music).There are also, of course,great vocals by Satch, and great vocals by Velma Middleton,a singer who has been so much despised by the "critics",these guys who never played a single note,but who know everything about music and art.And there is, for me, an absolute masterpiece: a version of "two deuces",a tune Louis originally did in 1929.A model of great trumpet playing,and of moderation.There is no unnecesserary note in this tune, only mastery and absolute control of the instrument. This way of playing is very close to another stylist and outstanding trumpet player, Doc Cheatham; and, also, maybe Buck Clayton,Bill Coleman and the immense Shorty Baker.Pardon me, I have derived from the subject, but if you like Louis,I urge you to discover Shorty in the Ellington band,Buck in his owns and Doc in any record he did during his 75 years of playing.Coming back to Satchmo's autobiography,this is,after the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings of the twenties,a record set you have to buy in priority.But, if you don't have now the money for purchasing it, you can start with the two Columbia albums he did in 1954 and 1955:"Satch plays Fats",dedicated to the great Thomas "Fats" Waller,and the immense "plays W.C.Handy",mostly hanging around the blues."
Send this music to Iraq
Alfonso Llana | Colombia, SouthAmerica | 08/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"and they will love America.
What a fantastic music. Back in 1971 my father gave me this album (of course the old, LP, vinyl, monophonic records). It was love at first sight (well, ear). With the advent of CD's and all the digital formats I had forgotten this terrific album until, by chance, I came upon it in Amazon (now a magnificent 3CD set)
Sound quality is excellent and the set comes with a beautiful booklet. Printed information as an album companion is one great loss of the CD format so this nice booklet is certaily very welcome. My only "complaint" is that the CD's come packed in an atractive but very inconvenient cardboard sleeves which form a foldable album. The records are difficult to manipulate and soon scratches began to appear on my records so I put them in normal plastic boxes.
These records are the my 2005 discovery and I could not be happier."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1