Collection 1: First Decade 1923-32 (CD) – Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong was without question one of the most important artists in the development of jazz – his technical skill, his powerful presence and his improvisational genius was such that his peers rapidly recognised him as a model, and his work helped shape the way the language of jazz evolved over the years. From quite early in his career, from the late ’30s onwards, he became an entertainer who transcended the genres, appearing in many films, and acquiring a role and relevance outside pure jazz, although his influence continued to pervade the way the music was performed, especially during the New Orleans revival of the ’50s and ’60s. This collection, however, focuses on that first key decade, when he helped shift the emphasis from collective improvisation to virtuoso solo performance simply through the power and quality of his contribution to the ensembles he played with and led. It includes some of his first recordings as part of the hugely important King Oliver Creole Jazz Band along with selected recordings with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra and Clarence Williams’ Blue Five, before drawing most particularly on his landmark recordings with his Hot Five and Hot Seven, which are such an important element of the entire jazz canon. The final section of the collection comprises recordings with his orchestra during the early ’30s as he developed his technique further and established his role as a singer and entertainer as much as virtuoso trumpeter and cornettist. It’s a great value 48-track 2-CD set at budget price, which provides an insight into a vital formative decade of jazz

Track List

1. Just Gone
2. Chimes Blues
3. Froggie Moore
4. Buddy’s Habit
5. Chattanooga Stomp
6. Working Man Blues
7. Go ‘Long Mule
8. Tell Me Dreamy Eyes
9. Texas Moaner Blues
10. Copenhagen
11. Cake Walkin’ Babies from Home
12. St Louis Blues
13. Cold in Hand Blues
14. I Miss My Swiss
15. Livin’ High Sometimes
16. Coal Cart Blues
17. You Can’t Shush Katie
18. Heebie Jeebies Song Review
19. Cornet Chop Suey Song Review
20. Muskrat Ramble Song Review
21. Don’t Forget to Mess Around
22. Lonesome Blues
23. Skid-Dat-De-Dat
24. Willie the Weeper
25. Wild Man Blues
26. Potato Head Blues Song Review
27. Melancholy Blues
28. 12th Street Rag
29. Struttin’ with Some Barbecue Song Review
30. Hotter Than That
31. Savoy Blues
32. West End Blues Song Review
33. Basin Street Blues Song Review
34. Weather Bird
35. Muggles
36. St. James Infirmary Song Review
37. Tight Like This
38. Knockin’ a Jug
39. Mahogany Hall Stomp
40. Ain’t Misbehavin’
41. (What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue
42. Tiger Rag
43. Blue Yodel No. (Standin’ on the Corner)
44. I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas
45. Body and Soul
46. Sweethearts on Parade
47. Star Dust
48. All of Me